The top four teams have been determined in the Chinese Women's Volleyball Super League playoffs, with Tianjin, Jiangsu, and Shanghai securing their spots. The remaining spot will be contested between Liaoning and Shandong from Group D. Today's match, where Shandong hosts Liaoning, presents a complex scenario with 14 different possibilities that could determine the final top-four position. Meanwhile, Li Yingying of Tianjin Volleyball is resting.
Let's take a look at the pre-match standings in Group D:
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If Liaoning defeats Shandong 3:0 or 3:1, Liaoning will secure all 3 points, reaching a total of 9 points and directly advancing to the top four.
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If Liaoning wins against Shandong 3:2, Liaoning will have 8 points while Shandong will have 6 points. The next round of matches will become very complicated:
- If Liaoning loses to Beijing 0:3 or 1:3, and Shandong defeats Tianjin 3:0 or 3:1, Shandong will surpass Liaoning in points and directly advance to the top four.
- If Liaoning loses to Beijing 0:3 or 1:3, and Shandong defeats Tianjin 3:2, both teams will have the same points, requiring a calculation of minor scores to determine who advances.
- If Liaoning loses to Beijing 2:3, and Shandong defeats Tianjin 3:0 or 3:1, both teams will have the same points, necessitating a calculation of minor scores to decide who advances.
- If Liaoning defeats Beijing, regardless of the outcome of the Shandong-Tianjin match, Liaoning will advance to the top four.
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If Liaoning loses to Shandong 2:3, both teams will have 7 points each. The next round of matches will also be complex:
- If Liaoning loses to Beijing, and Shandong defeats Tianjin, Shandong will directly advance to the top four.
- If Liaoning defeats Beijing 3:2, and Shandong defeats Tianjin 3:2, both teams will have the same points, and the decision will be made based on minor scores.
- If Liaoning defeats Beijing 3:1 or 3:0, and Tianjin defeats Tianjin 3:0 or 3:1, both teams will have the same points, and the decision will be made based on a calculation of minor scores.
- If Liaoning defeats Beijing, and Shandong loses to Tianjin, Liaoning will advance to the top four.
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If Liaoning loses to Shandong 0:3 or 1:3, Liaoning will have 6 points, and Shandong will have 8 points. The suspense will remain until the next round:
- If Liaoning faces Beijing and loses, Shandong will directly advance to the top four.
- If Shandong defeats Tianjin, Shandong will directly advance to the top four.
- If Liaoning defeats Beijing 3:0 or 3:1, and Shandong loses to Tianjin 2:3, both teams will have the same points, and the decision will be made based on a calculation of minor scores.
- If Liaoning defeats Beijing 3:0 or 3:1, and Shandong loses to Tianjin 1:3 or 0:3, Liaoning will directly advance to the top four.
- If Liaoning defeats Beijing 3:2, and Shandong loses to Tianjin 0:3 or 1:3, both teams will have the same points, and the decision will be made based on a calculation of minor scores.
Despite these 14 possible scenarios, Liaoning has a greater chance of advancing to the top four. This is because if Tianjin were to lose to Shandong in the last match, allowing Shandong to advance to the top four, the points between Shandong and Tianjin would carry over to the next stage. Therefore, Tianjin will undoubtedly give their all in the match against Shandong and will not hold back.
Additionally, in this round, Tianjin will face Beijing without any competition for top-four points. As a result, Tianjin's head coach, Chen Fang, stated that Tianjin will rotate multiple players, including Li Yingying.