Volleyball Super League: Tianjin Defeats Shandong 3-0, Differences in Side Attacks, Li Yingying's Decisive Blow
At 19:30 on January 7th, Beijing time, the 2024-2025 season of the Women's Volleyball Super League playoffs saw Shandong face off against Tianjin. In this match, Tianjin aimed to secure their third consecutive victory, while Shandong fought hard to secure second place in the group and a ticket to the top four. Ultimately, Tianjin, with superior overall strength, won the game 3-0. Let's review and analyze the match:
Shandong's Side Attackers Lack Strong Offensive Capability, Two Vice Attackers Cannot Determine the Course of the Game
After Tianjin's runner-up finish at the World Club Cup, Yao Di revitalized the entire team, and Liu Liwen played bravely, with both first and second passes being improved. Tianjin no longer had any obvious weaknesses. At the vice attacker position, Wang Yuanyuan and Fetisova are world-class players, and the two main attackers, Li Yingying and Wang Yizhu, have both played for the national team. Aside from the slightly inexperienced Chen Boya at the setter position, Tianjin is stronger than Shandong in every position. The only thing Shandong could boast about against Tianjin were their two vice attackers: Yang Han Yu and Wang Wenhao. It should be said that Shandong performed well in the first set.
By serving to attack Li Yingying and Chen Boya, Yang Han Yu even directly blocked Li Yingying's attack, leading the score at 12-9. However, as Tianjin opened up various attacking points, Shandong found it increasingly difficult to block and defend. Li Yingying's powerful spikes and back-row attacks repeatedly broke through Shandong's defense. Shandong's main attackers and setters found it hard to get past Tianjin's block, with a low success rate in one-shot attacks. Yang Han Yu and Wang Wenhao's quick attacks also relied on accurate first passes, and Tianjin took the first set 25-20. With both sides having strong vice attackers, Tianjin's side attack was superior to Shandong, which was the most obvious difference.
Tianjin's Strength Lies in Li Yingying's Ability to Decide the Outcome, Shandong's Vice Attackers Were Focused on Blocking, Lacking Scoring Points
The reason why Tianjin is stronger than other teams is that they have Li Yingying as a key player in critical points and adjustment attacks. In the second set, Shandong also kept up with the score, and the difference was close after both sides reached 20 points. However, just when Shandong saw hope in winning a set, Li Yingying stepped up. Standing over 1.90 meters tall and being a left-handed main attacker, Li Yingying can easily perform flat hits, overhead attacks, and change lines, all of which Shandong couldn't block. If Tianjin removed Li Yingying from the lineup, the two teams' strengths would likely be similar. Having a top-level attacker allows the team to solve problems.
In this game, Tianjin also focused on studying Shandong, effectively blocking the attacks of Yang Han Yu and Wang Wenhao multiple times. After their sharpest attacking point was suppressed by the opponent, Shandong had no one else to step up. Additionally, both Yang Han Yu and Wang Wenhao mainly attacked from position 3, rarely running to position 2 for back attacks. Tianjin didn't need to judge; they could directly block Yang Han Yu at position 3. Shandong's vice attackers were too single in their personal attacking methods. When the vice attackers couldn't score, Tianjin also did a good job in blocking Shandong's setters and main attackers.
Tianjin Is Already Warming Up for Advancing to the Top Four, Replacing Teng Jingli with Third Set to Integrate into the Team
Tianjin's goal is no longer just to win this game against Shandong. Besides securing first place in the group, Tianjin is already working on integrating their lineup for the top four. In this game, Tianjin also replaced Liu Meijun, allowing her to participate in integrating the lineup on the court, and Japanese libero Teng Jingli also came on in the third set. Tianjin is not without flaws; Chen Boya's first pass and Yao Di's physical fitness, as well as the cooperation between Yao Di and Wang Yuanyuan, could still be improved. However, these issues are hard to be forced out by opponents.
Chen Boya's first pass has ups and downs, and Yang Yi can replace her. If Wang Yuanyuan and Yao Di don't cooperate well, Fetisova can step up, or if not, they can rely on Li Yingying to smash through. In the weakest libero position, Tianjin also brought in foreign aid during the playoffs. With Xiaocaiwa leaving Shanghai's women's volleyball team, Tianjin is almost in a dominant position in the league again. Shandong's 0-3 loss to Tianjin reflects the gap in strength between the two teams.
What do you think about Tianjin's 3-0 victory over Shandong, securing three consecutive victories in the playoffs? Welcome to leave your comments and discussions, thank you for reading!