Chasing the deer in Nagoya

Qilu Evening News·Qilu One Point reporter Feng Zihan

On the evening of September 22, the Nagoya Asian Games women’s volleyball finals ushered in a much-anticipated peak showdown. The Chinese women’s volleyball team will face the host Japanese women’s volleyball team. This battle is of great significance. The Chinese women’s volleyball team is striving to win three consecutive Asian Games championships and win the 10th Asian Games championship trophy in team history; while the Japanese women’s volleyball team is making every effort to break the 48-year Asian Games gold medal drought. A pinnacle competition in the Asian volleyball world involving honor and structure is about to begin.

On September 21, Chinese women’s volleyball player Gong Xiangyu (middle) spiked the ball during the game. Xinhua News Agency

This Asian Games is a redemption battle for the Chinese women’s volleyball team. Less than a month ago, the team lost to Thailand in the final of the Asian Championships at home. Unfortunately, it missed the direct qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics and suffered a big setback. In this Asian Games journey, the Chinese team played with a young lineup, showing strong adjustment ability and fighting resilience. In the semi-finals, they faced the Thai women’s volleyball team with all the main players. The two sides fought fiercely for five games. In the decisive game, the Chinese women’s volleyball team scored a 15:6 disparity and made a strong comeback to advance.

On September 21, the Chinese women’s volleyball team defeated the Thai team 3-2 and advanced to the finals. Xinhua News Agency

This final is full of highlights. Both sides have their own advantages and distinct highlights. The Japanese women’s volleyball team easily defeated the Korean team 3:0 in the semifinals. It has sufficient physical reserves and is sitting on the home court, with high morale. Since the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games, the Japanese women’s volleyball team has never won an Asian Games gold medal. In this home game, they are determined to take revenge and end the years of gold medal drought. On the other hand, the Chinese team has the advantage of high net port, outstanding attack and blocking capabilities, while the Japanese team is good at quick series, delicate defense and changeable fast breaks. The collision of two completely different tactical systems will become the biggest suspense of the game.

Player performance will determine the trend of the game. The Japanese team consists of Yukiko Wada, Juno Sato, and Misora ​​Akimoto as the “new trident”, while the Chinese team mainly attacks Wu Mengjie and Zhuang Yushan, with cross-fire power, and Gong Xiangyu has outstanding series support capabilities. It is worth mentioning that the two Shandong players in the team also performed well and became a stable force for the team.自由Wang Mengjie is experienced in defense, has a solid first pass, and is smart in saving the ball. He has resolved crises in key rounds many times and is the reassurance of the team’s back row defense. Young setter Xie Shengyu is courageous to play hard, decisive in offense and active in running, injecting vitality into the young lineup.