Currently, the first stage of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Super League playoffs has just passed the halfway point, with each team having played against each other once. The second round of matches will follow, with Group C ranked as follows: Jiangsu with 3 wins and 8 points, Shanghai with 2 wins and 7 points, Fujian with 1 win and 3 points, and Shenzhen with 0 wins and 0 points. Group D is ranked as follows: Tianjin with 3 wins and 9 points, Liaoning with 2 wins and 6 points, Shandong with 1 win and 2 points, and Beijing with 0 wins and 1 point. According to the format, the top two teams from Groups C and D will advance to the top four, then play crossover matches until a champion is decided. Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team has a clear advantage; if they secure all 3 points in their next away match against Liaoning, they can advance to the top four two rounds in advance.
More importantly, Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team finishes matches within four sets, making them relatively relaxed. It's just about the final ranking; the first-ranked team plays the second from the other group, and the second-ranked team plays the first from the other group. If Yao Di hadn't returned and Wang Baoquan hadn't been replaced by Chen Fang, everything would be uncertain. Besides Tianjin, Liaoning must win against Shandong; if they lose, their spot in the top four may not be guaranteed. However, as two teams mainly featuring vice attackers, Liaoning seems to have an edge over Shandong. In the other group, if Jiangsu Women's Volleyball Team doesn't lose points against Fujian in their next match, they can also advance two rounds in advance.
Meanwhile, since Shanghai Women's Volleyball Team is playing Shenzhen, securing all 3 points should be no problem. Therefore, after the next match, Jiangsu and Shanghai can join hands to advance to the top four. Currently, after the next match, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Jiangsu are expected to advance to the top four together, while the last spot will be contested between Shandong and Liaoning, with Liaoning being the likely candidate. The semifinals are likely to see Tianjin against Shanghai, and Jiangsu against Liaoning. However, after this stage, the last-placed team will be relegated. Currently, both Shenzhen and Beijing are struggling to win, and whoever secures a victory first will have little trouble staying in the league. At present, Shenzhen is more likely to be relegated next season.
This season's schedule has been extended by nearly two months compared to before, and the regular season has indeed been more exciting, with five-set matches being commonplace. However, the relegation matches after the regular season seem rather pointless; it's only after the playoffs end that the decision on relegation is truly made, so our schedule still needs optimization. Another issue is the limit on the number of foreign players on the court; currently, the Italian league allows four foreigners simultaneously, the Turkish league three, and we allow two. This playoff season, both Liaoning and Beijing women's volleyball teams have three foreigners, who can only take turns playing. In fact, we should emulate high-level leagues and appropriately increase the number of foreigner slots, making the matches even more exciting.
