On December 31st, Beijing time, Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team welcomed their first match of the second stage of the league at home against Liaoning Women's Volleyball Team. Both teams were in excellent form previously, with Liaoning easily defeating Zhejiang in two matches to secure their relegation safety, while Tianjin achieved the best performance in Chinese and Asian club history at the Club World Cup. In this rematch, Tianjin ultimately secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory. Summarizing the victory, Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team also received three significant pieces of good news.
Firstly, the game was not particularly smooth, revealing some significant issues within the team. For example, they entered the game slowly, trailing in the first three sets and unable to completely suppress Liaoning, who are not particularly strong. The earlier these problems are exposed, the better it is for Tianjin, as they will have more time to make adjustments.
Secondly, the game was somewhat challenging, especially losing a set in the third round, which was the second set lost by Tianjin since Yao Di's return. Prior to this, except for the 3-1 victory against Jiangsu, all other matches were clean sweeps with 3-0 victories, which were relatively easy wins.
Sometimes, such victories can make the team overconfident, failing to take opponents seriously. Losing a set may be more beneficial than a 3-0 victory, as it keeps the team on edge. Especially after their outstanding performance at the Club World Cup, the players' morale is very high. Losing a set against Liaoning, who are not particularly strong, can serve as a wake-up call for the players.
Thirdly, newcomers and some substitute players had many opportunities to train during the game. In the second and fourth sets, Tianjin won relatively easily, once leading by about 10 points, which is a very safe score in volleyball, especially in matches with clear strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, in these two sets, when leading by about 10 points, Tianjin sent on many young substitute players, including the newly arrived libero, Fujii Risa, who received so many playing opportunities in their first game.
With this game experience, when they play in critical moments in future matches, they will not be as nervous. Especially the Japanese libero Fujii Risa, who can effectively integrate with the whole team and adapt to the rhythm of the Chinese Women's Volleyball League during the considerable time of the two sets, which is also very good news.