On August 27, Beijing time, the 2023 U21 Women's Volleyball World Championship ended in León, Mexico. The Chinese women's volleyball team defeated the defending champion Italy 3-2 in the final, winning the tournament for the first time in six years. Chinese main Zhuang Yushan scored 23 points in the final to become the scoring leader. In the selection of the best team, Zhuang Yushan won the MVP and the best main attack, Wan Ziyue was elected the best deputy attacker, and Zhu Xingchen was awarded the best free man.
Although the Chinese women's volleyball team recruited the most powerful players in this age group in China, most of the players have no World Series experience. Due to the pandemic, most of them missed the 2021 U18 and 2021 U20 Women's Volleyball World Championships. Only Zhuang Yushan and Zhu Xingchen participated in the previous Youth World Championships.
In this U21 Women's Volleyball World Championship, the Chinese women's volleyball team opened low and went high, won a wave of five consecutive victories after losing the first group stage, and advanced to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the Chinese women's volleyball team defeated Brazil in five games to advance to the final. On the other hand, the Italian women's volleyball team swept the Japanese women's volleyball team to reach the final, and previously maintained an undefeated record.
The strength of the two sides in the final is between Bozhong. In the first four games, the Chinese women's volleyball team was at a disadvantage in catching up with their opponents in terms of game points, but the girls dragged their opponents into the tiebreaker with strong tenacity. In the fifth game, the Italian women's volleyball team was suppressed in momentum and rhythm, and the Chinese women's volleyball team seized the opportunity to win the game in one fell swoop. Post-match technical statistics show that the Chinese women's volleyball team is better than its opponents in terms of blocking, serving and errors.
This young team is full of vitality and dares to fight, they are constantly maturing, and they are expected to become the backbone of the Chinese women's volleyball team in the future.
In this year's U21 World Championships, the Chinese Volleyball Association specially sent Zhuang Yushan, the captain of the second team, to help. Zhuang Yushan lived up to his mission, ranking first in total scoring 137 points, 6 blocks and 5 shots on 126 shots, becoming the biggest contributor to the Chinese team's championship, and the MVP is well deserved. As a rising star, Zhuang Yushan, who is 1.83 meters tall, belongs to the small main attacker, with strong bouncing ability, strength and speed, and excellent temperament. In order to make up for the lack of height, she practiced the basic skills of passing and defense while practicing strong attack. Last year's Asian Cup and the just-concluded World University Games, Chuang Yushan attacked quickly and varied in the No. 4 position. In addition, she played an important role in receiving six rounds of one pass in the back row, both offensive and defensive.
18-year-old deputy Wan Ziyue comes from a volleyball family, she is 1.96 meters tall, she has good congenital conditions, excellent bounce, and remarkable back flying, she is also known as "Little Yuan Xinyue" by fans. When she was in the national junior team, she was the main player in the team and an indispensable secondary attacker. At the 14th National Games held in 2021, Wan Ziyue and her teammates participated in the youth women's volleyball competition, helping the Jiangsu team win the youth championship of the National Games. With her own strength, Wan Ziyue was promoted to the first team of the Jiangsu women's volleyball team and took another step on her career path. Her short flat and fast offense in front of the net is very characteristic and has a strong scoring ability; The high point back flight is not only high, the start is fast, but also powerful and clean.
At present, there is a shortage of talents in the deputy offensive line of the Chinese women's volleyball team. Although Yuan Xinyue, Wang Yuanyuan, and Gaoyi have their own characteristics, there is still a gap compared with Yan Ni, who has retired. At 1.92 meters tall, Yan Ni is known as the "Great Wall of the North", and as a secondary attacker, she is not only unique in fast attacks, but also the first line of defense at the team's net in terms of blocking. At this year's U21 World Championships, Wan Ziyue's high blocking net was impressive.
Libero Zhu Xingchen became the most reassuring player in the team. As the best libero of the 2019 World Junior Championship, she has a stable pass, excellent defense, fast foot movement, high catch and low block, laying a good foundation for the defensive counterattack of the Chinese women's volleyball team. The 20-year-old young player has such an excellent and stable performance, no wonder some netizens sighed, "The Chinese women's volleyball libertarian finally has a successor after Wang Mengjie!" ”
The road to the rejuvenation of the Chinese women's volleyball team is a long way off, and the emergence of young players has accumulated strength for the development of the Chinese women's volleyball team, and if they can be given more opportunities to exercise in international competitions, it will be of great benefit to their growth.
Editor-in-chief: Chen Hua
Source: Author: Qin Dongying