Women's volleyball team aims to revive glory days

No longer a dominant force in world competition, the new generation of Chinese women's volleyball players is fighting hard to return the team to the podium at international events and repeat the glories of their predecessors. However, from its performances in 2022, it's clear that the young and developing Chinese women's team still has a long journey ahead.

A pair of sixth-place finishes, at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League in July and the Women's Volleyball World Championship 2022 in September and October, were the best results the team mustered last year.

Currently ranked No 5 in the world, the team is well aware of the gap to the top teams, such as Italy, which defeated Team China 3-1 in a quarterfinal at the world championship, and No 1-ranked world champions Serbia.

However, the young Chinese squad values the experiences it gained through the international games it played in 2022, especially lessons from the defeats.

"It's important that we have more chances to play against strong teams like Italy," Team China head coach Cai Bin told Xinhua News Agency. "To face the world's top teams, or even defeat them, we need to find more effective ways of playing. So, that experience competing against them is valuable."

Cai said that when the team started to rebuild, "team spirit is what we valued the most".

"I think we did well from that perspective, but in terms of the gap in skill we cannot level up overnight, and it will take some time to keep improving," he said.

"We need to be more aggressive in the future and find a tactical balance of attack and defense. We must build a good system, otherwise we won't have any advantage when we play against the world's strongest teams."

Fans awaiting the resurgence of Chinese women's volleyball miss the days when Team China was capable of winning Olympic gold and world championships, like they did under former head coach Lang Ping at the Rio 2016 Olympics and the World Cups in 2015 and 2019.

A painful turning point arrived at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 — the Summer Olympics were delayed due to COVID-19. The team, the defending Olympic champions, failed to emerge from the group stages.

The shock early exit was China's worst Olympic showing in women's volleyball since its debut at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, leading to the resignation of legendary coach Lang.

"We faced unprecedented uncertainty ahead of the Tokyo Olympics due to the pandemic, and no one had experience. It was such a pity. We should have displayed more of what we had prepared, but we did not, and we need to accept that fact," Lang said in an interview.

"But we need to find the solutions. That's how our players can be more mature in the future when they face these problems. I hope the team has more options in the future, but we need to let 2021 go, as the defeat is already history."

Rising star Li

Throughout 2022, the star who shone the brightest on Team China was Li Yingying. Without superstar Zhu Ting and veteran outside hitter Zhang Changning, who were sidelined by injuries, a younger generation spearheaded by Li took more responsibility on the international stage.

The 22-year-old scored 179 points to finish as the team's top scorer in 2022 and was the sixth highest individual scorer at the world championship. During the nation's league tournament in July, Li had totaled 248 points to finish as third highest scorer.

"From 2018 to 2021, I grew from a kid on the national team to a core player," Li said in an interview with China Matters. "I was a youngster whose main job was to cheer for the others, and occasionally earn a chance to play. But, from the world championship this year, I shouldered a lot more responsibility.

"That meant I had more pressure, which influenced my performances to some degree. Winning and losing are a part of competitive sport. What's important, though, is the Chinese volleyball spirit, which is to never give up in the face of adversity, no matter how difficult the challenge is."

Li agreed with her coach, Cai, that the players had to improve their skills to match other teams, but added that they had never lost their spirit. "Each time, my goal is to win the key point in the key match for my team. I'm only 22 years old, and I believe I can always do better in the next game. This is just a start to a new chapter. I will work hard for my next Olympics in Paris," she said.

In a separate interview with Xinhua, Li said another of her goals is to become a leading international player.

"I'm now more confident on the court and I'm closing the gap with the world's top players. The distance is not that big. I believe I get better with every game. Becoming a true world-class player is my next goal. I will certainly keep working hard and fighting for it," Li said.

'Zhuper' returns

From the setbacks at the Tokyo Olympics to the expectations placed on Team China throughout 2022, most of the fans' mixed feelings toward the team can be linked to the fortunes of Chinese superstar Zhu. The 28-year-old has returned to the court after a long hiatus due to injuries, and fans now have high hopes that she will once again lead Team China to glory.

Zhu is one of the most high-profile women's volleyball players in the world. Nicknamed "Zhuper", she is the first player to win two consecutive FIVB World Cup titles, and was also named most valuable player at both the tournaments. Zhu was also the MVP at the Rio Olympics in 2016, when she helped the national team win gold.

However an injury to her right wrist, which she sustained in 2017, brought a halt to the accolades and trophies. The injury flared again in 2019, causing extra concern this time as it began to severely affect her performances.

Rather than undergoing surgery, she chose a treatment program that would allow her to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.

However, the treatment was not enough for Zhu to maintain peak performance at the Tokyo Games. Although Zhu displayed her famous fighting spirit and played through the pain, Team China failed to make it beyond the group stage.

Zhu eventually underwent surgery earlier last year in Spain, and rested for several months in Europe. In July, Zhu announced she was signing for Italian Women's Volleyball League side Pallavolo Scandicci, the second foreign club she has joined.

From 2016-19, Zhu enjoyed a successful stint at Vakifbank Istanbul in Turkiye. Now expectations are high that she can put her injury troubles behind her and bounce back in style.

Cai, the head coach, said in a recent interview that Zhu is very likely to return to the national team in 2023. Her first priority is to help Team China secure a spot at the 2024 Paris Games through qualifying.

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn