Late at night on June 13, 2022, the final of the 2022 Asian Volleyball Federation U18 Women's Volleyball Asian Championship ended in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. The Chinese Girls' Volleyball Team lost 2 to 3 to the Japanese Girls' Volleyball Team and won the runner-up of the U18 Women's Volleyball Asian Championship. The Japanese team won champion. In the bronze medal match of the U18 Women's Volleyball Asian Championship, the South Korean team defeated the Thai team 3-2 and won the bronze medal. As a result, the Japanese team, the Chinese team, and the South Korean team have obtained the right to participate in the 2023 U19 World Junior Women's Volleyball Championship.
The current head coach of the Chinese National Girls Volleyball Team is Ye Wen from Sichuan, and the assistant coaches are Wang Chen from Beijing and Zhang Xian from Yunnan. The list of 12 players in the Chinese national girls' volleyball team is: setters Li Yuening and Xiong Qinqing, supporting players Fan Boning, Liu Hongfei, Chen Xiyue and Wang Yindi, main attackers Zhang Xinrui, Li Chenxuan and Gao Jiaqi, secondary attackers Shan Linqian and Mao Weijia, and free agent Sun Wanyun. The national girls' volleyball team went all the way and advanced to the finals. The 12-player roster of Japan's U18 women's volleyball team is: setters Hidaka Kokoro and Yoshida Sanae, side attackers Kawamata Kokoumi, Watanabe Mihanaka, Hirano, Kasai Katsuri, Omori Saki Ai, secondary attackers Chikamu, Akimoto Misora, Baba Yuki, Kitagawa Minaki, and free agent Nishikawa Rin.
In the group stage of this Asian Championship, the Chinese team lost to the Japanese team 0-3. This is the second time the two teams have met. The Japanese team's mixed-race player Hirano and the Chinese team's player Wang Yindi are the main scorers of the two teams. It is obvious that the Chinese team is very well prepared for this game.
After the game started, the Chinese team, which had a small climax, led 7-3. The Japanese team caught up, but the Chinese team Mao Weijia blocked the block, and the Chinese team continued to lead 15-10. Chinese team head coach Ye Wen replaced Zhang Xinrui with Li Chenxuan, the main attacker, to strengthen the online height. Shan Linqian, the team's tallest deputy attacker from Beijing with a height of 1.94 meters, made a fast break from the net. The Chinese team led by a score of 20 to 14. Chen Xiyue and Wang Yindi flew together on both wings, and the Chinese team got the game point 24-17. The Japanese team broke the serve and chased to 19-24. The head coach of the Chinese team, Ye Wen, called a timeout. With Chen Xiyue's strong attack, the Chinese team won the first game 25-19.
The vigorous Chinese team led 4-0, and the Japanese team broke serve to tie the game at 4. The match was fierce, with the Japanese team only missing 1 point from reaching 15-16. With the sharp counterattacks of Li Chenxuan and Wang Yindi, the Chinese team once again stabilized its position at 18-15. The Japanese team's serve once again broke through the Chinese team's pass and tied the game at 18. Shan Linqian's high-point fast break gave the team a 20-19 lead, and the Japanese team tenaciously chased to a 20-level tie. The Japanese team's defensive counterattack was excellent, leading 22 to 21, and the Chinese team's head coach called a timeout. The Japanese team's serving rhythm changed, and the Chinese team fell behind 22 to 23. During multiple rounds of offense and defense, Chen Xiyue attacked and counterattacked, allowing the Chinese team to gain game point 24-23. Through timeout adjustments, the Japanese team tied the game at 24. Chen Xiyue served and scored, and the team blocked successfully, 28 to 26! The Chinese team narrowly won the second game by 2 points.
The Japanese team changed the setter position, and Hidaka Kokoro replaced Yoshida Sanai, changing the team's organizational rhythm. In the third game, the Japanese team led 3-1. Mao Weijia served continuously and broke the ball, and the Chinese team took the lead 8-7. The Japanese team resolutely played quick changes, while the Chinese team excelled in high-point attacks and blocking, suppressing the Japanese team with a 13-10 lead. The tall Chinese team's blocks constantly blocked the opponent's attacks, which showed that the team had made targeted arrangements before the game, and the players on the field were very resolute in executing the coach's intentions. The confident Chinese team completely took the initiative and expanded its lead to 18-12.
Just when the victory seemed to be established, the Chinese team played a bit conservatively and hesitated in handling the ball. The tenacious Japanese team seized the opportunity of defensive counterattack and chased to 19-20 with only 1 point difference. The Japanese team served and scored, and the Japanese team took the lead 21-20. The morale-boosted Japanese team continued to play cleverly and regained the set at 25-21.
had a chance to end the game in the third game, but missed the opportunity. As a result, the confidence of the Chinese team was hit. The Japanese team played more and more smoothly. The Chinese team fell behind by a score of 0 to 8 in the fourth game. This is also the instability of young players. One of the characteristics. Precisely because they are all small players, big ups and downs are normal. The Chinese team stabilized its position and caught up to 8-11, still 3 points behind. However, the Japanese team's serve worked, and they combined play and lobs to expand their lead to 19-11. Hirano succeeded in the back attack, 25 to 17. The Japanese team won the fourth game, and the total score was tied at 2. The Chinese team was dragged into the deciding game by its opponent.
The Chinese and Japanese girls' volleyball teams fought fiercely in the decisive game. The Chinese team excelled in strong attack and high block, and the Japanese team excelled in the combination of hitting and hanging. The Chinese team fell behind 4 to 6, and Ye Wen called for a timeout to adjust. Li Yuening succeeded in blocking, and the Chinese team was only 1 point away from 5-6. The Japanese team defended the counterattack accurately and led by 3 points at 9-6. Wang Yindi's hitter scored, and the Chinese team was only 1 point away from chasing 8-9. Then, the Japanese team became more technically sophisticated and led by 3 points 13-10. Through the block, the Chinese team caught up to 13-14 and was only 1 point away. The Japanese team succeeded in attacking evenly, but the Chinese team lost the decisive game by 13 to 15.
In the 2022 Asian U18 Women's Volleyball Championship, the Chinese National Girls Volleyball Team had 5 wins and 2 losses in 7 games. Although they finally won the runner-up in this competition, these young women's volleyball players gave Chinese fans a glimpse of the future hope of Chinese Women's Volleyball Team.
Photo courtesy of Asian Volleyball League
