The A-level women's volleyball league has completed 18 rounds, with two rounds left in the first stage of the playoffs. The top four teams have already secured three spots, including Tianjin, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. Liaoning and Shandong are competing for the remaining spot. From these 18 rounds, there are approximately 10 outstanding second passers among the players, namely Yao Di, Diao Linyu, Xu Xiaoting, Jie Shengyu, Ding Xia, Zou Jiaqi, Sun Yan, Meng Dou, Zhang Zihan, Liang Guiqian, and Zhang Zixuan, who stood out in the U-series competitions.
In the 18th round, three players from Shandong scored double digits, with two others close to 10 points, achieving a multi-point blooming effect. Sun Jie scored the second-highest points in the game and the highest within the team with 21 points (47 attacks, 17 successful, 3 errors, 5 blocked, 3 blocks, 1 serve). Yang Hanyu scored the second-highest within the team with 15 points (15 attacks, 10 successful, 0 errors, 1 blocked, 5 blocks), impressively scoring 5 blocks and putting significant pressure on Beijing's attackers. Jie Shengyan also scored 15 points (32 attacks, 13 successful, 0 errors, 2 blocked, 2 blocks).
National team substitute blocker and Shandong's main blocker, Wang Wenhao, scored the fourth-highest within the team with 9 points (11 attacks, 7 successful, 1 error, 0 blocked, 1 block, 1 serve). Although his score did not reach double digits, he had both blocks and serves, with an impressive attack success rate of 63.6% and efficiency of 54.5%. His performance was outstanding, albeit with fewer ball rights. Du Qingqing also scored 8 points (18 attacks, 6 successful, 0 errors, 1 blocked, 1 block, 1 serve), but with an attack success rate of only 33.3% and an efficiency as low as 27.8%, her performance could only be considered average. The 20-year-old second passer, Jie Shengyu, scored 1 point (1 attack, 1 successful), but more importantly, she achieved a multi-point blooming effect with 48 effective passes, becoming the best second passer of the round. She is a strong contender for the second passing position in the Los Angeles Olympic cycle for the Chinese women's volleyball team. With her prominent height, fast and stable passing, and more training with national team players, her future is promising.
Xu Xiaoting, the substitute second passer for the Chinese women's volleyball team during the Paris Olympic cycle, performed well in international competitions and could change the game when she came on. Calm on the court, she is also very competitive at heart, showing the demeanor of a great general. Last year, as the main second passer, she and her teammates won the runner-up in the women's volleyball league. This year, after the sudden departure of Xiao Caiwa, she and her teammates achieved second place in the group and advanced to the semi-finals two rounds early, completing their seasonal goal. Moreover, she became the best second passer in the A-level cumulative 18 rounds with 776 effective passes, surpassing Ding Xia in second place and Jie Shengyu in third. Shanghai's advance to the top four is inseparable from Xu Xiaoting's excellent passing.
Ding Xia, Yao Di, and Diao Linyu were the main and substitute second passers during the Rio, Tokyo, and Paris Olympic cycles. Ding Xia, still sharp as ever,挤掉徐晓婷以替补二传的身份参加了巴黎奥运会，played well in the women's volleyball league, often achieving a multi-point blooming effect. In several games, she even served herself and scored 6 points, living up to her name as "Ding the Spiker."
Yao Di reached the pinnacle of her career. At the beginning of the season, Tianjin faced difficulties, losing many games and dropping to fifth place. As a result, Wang Baoquan stepped back to become an assistant coach, allowing Chen Fang to take over. In the tenth round, Yao Di returned forcefully, resulting in a nine-game winning streak, restoring the champion's spirit and becoming the strongest contender. Participating in the Club World Cup, Yao Di, as the main second passer, helped Tianjin break historical records and win the runner-up, only losing to the powerful Konegliano club with the "Zhu Ting + Gabi + Hackett" trident. Therefore, Yao Di is still the best second passer in China.
This season, Jiangsu started strong but later faltered. In the later stages of the regular season, due to injuries to second passers Sun Yan and Gong Xiangyu, as well as Nie Feifan recovering from injury, Jiangsu surprisingly lost to the bottom-ranked Shenzhen team, causing quite a stir. However, with the return of Gong Xiangyu, Diao Linyu, and Nie Feifan in the playoffs, Jiangsu went on a winning streak, surpassing Shanghai in points to rise to first place in the group, advancing to the semi-finals two rounds early. Diao Linyu's passing skills are evident; she ranked third-best in the 18th round, but because she only returned for the playoffs, she did not make it into the top three in the cumulative 18 rounds.
Beijing's second passer, Zou Jiaqi, excels in feint passing techniques. Sun Yan of Jiangsu and Meng Dou of Tianjin entered the national team during Lang Ping's tenure, both tall and technically proficient second passers. Zhang Zihan also had outstanding performances with the national youth and junior teams, winning the Best Second Passer award at the 2017 Asian Youth Championship. Her playing style is positive, with a high second pass rate and strong attacking ability. Fans hail her as the successor to "violent second passer" Ding Xia. Her excellent performances in the league and National Games have made her one of the hottest candidates for the main second passer of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
Liang Guiqian serves as the main second passer for Fujian. Standing at 1.73 meters, although her height is not high, her basic skills are solid, and her ball distribution is reasonable. She has strong acceleration and scheduling capabilities, able to perform a secondary acceleration during passing to create attacking time for hitters. Her mental fortitude is stable, and she consistently maintains high-quality passing, fully stimulating the offensive potential of each hitter. Liang Guiqian plays a crucial role in Fujian, helping the team achieve tactical coordination and offensive opportunities in matches. Despite her height being a disadvantage affecting her blocking performance, her technical level and mental fortitude are outstanding. Currently ranked second on the best second passer list with a second pass index of 1.87, her "quick hands" give her a unique advantage in passing, with good connections and fundamentals.
Considering age, height, technical characteristics, and achievements in the Los Angeles Olympic cycle and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, the Chinese women's national volleyball team should select second passers using a combination of "veterans, mid-career, and young players." Among veterans, choose one from Ding Xia, Yao Di, and Diao Linyu. Among mid-career players, choose one from Xu Xiaoting, Sun Yan, and Meng Dou. Among young players, choose one from Jie Shengyu, Zou Jiaqi, and Zhang Zixuan. Versatile fans, which three second passers do you think are suitable? Can they help the Chinese women's volleyball team compete for gold and silver in world championships?
