The 2024-2025 season of the women's volleyball super league has now entered the playoff stage. Tianjin women's volleyball team, after winning the runner-up in the World Club Cup, has undergone a revolutionary change, with reports suggesting that they will introduce Japanese libero Riko Fujii in the playoffs. After Tianjin's rise, the pressure on Shanghai has also increased, and Jiangsu women's volleyball team will also welcome back two key players, Diao Linyu and Ni Feifan, in the playoffs.
Tianjin women's volleyball team has solved the problems of first pass and second pass, which is like changing into a new team. Yao Di's skillful passing activates the attackers on the court, and Liu Liwen ranked first in the defense ranking of the World Club Cup, earning her the title of Best Libero. However, Liu Liwen's specialty lies in defense, and her first pass is not very stable, sometimes even requiring Yang Yi to replace her on the court to receive the first pass. The Japanese libero has a large first pass area, which can effectively relieve the first pass pressure on Wang Yizhu, Chen Boya, and Li Yingying.
After Tianjin's first pass is in place, the three main attackers plus two world-class vice attackers, Wang Yuanyuan and Fetsisova, have an overall strength that can compete with Shanghai women's volleyball team. In the World Club Cup group stage, they won 3-0 in all three matches, and in the semi-finals, they defeated Brazil Beach 3-1. No one considered Tianjin as a contender for the championship in the Super League. After the regular season of the Super League, Shanghai women's volleyball team ranked first in Group A. This season, with the addition of two foreign players, Xiaocaiwa and Taina La, Shanghai women's volleyball team's attacking power has been upgraded.
The problem with Shanghai women's volleyball team is that when Xiaocaiwa and Taina La are not on the court, they cannot even defeat Shandong and Fujian with their domestic lineup. Zhong Hui in the front row is also prone to getting stuck, and Taina La, compared to top receivers like Hake and Egnu, is not a top-level receiver. Moreover, Taina La's spiking height is average, making it easy for her to be blocked by Tianjin's high block.Shanghai is likely to form a "one-point attack" with Xiaocaiwa. As a main attacker, Xiaocaiwa also needs to participate in receiving the first pass. If she fails to deliver at this point, Shanghai could easily lose.
Jiangsu women's volleyball team has had a very volatile season, losing to Shenzhen women's volleyball team, who suffered 12 consecutive defeats, while dealing with multiple player injuries. In the playoff stage, Jiangsu will also see changes in their first pass and second pass. As the main setter, Diao Linyu will return to the team, and Ni Feifan will also make a comeback. Like Tianjin women's volleyball team, Jiangsu will strengthen their weaknesses in first pass and second pass,and this team known as the "Little National Team" indeed has strong competitiveness. Currently, the promotion and relegation matches have been completed, and the playoff groups have also been announced:
Group C: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian, Shenzhen;
Group D: Tianjin, Beijing, Shandong, Liaoning
The first stage of the playoffs will take place from December 31, 2024, to January 18, 2025. This year's Super League will not be dominated by Tianjin or Shanghai alone, and the playoff competition will be very fierce. The subsequent schedule will be released in segments, so please stay tuned and collect it, thank you for reading!