Team China players Li Yingying, Gong Xiangyu and Zheng Yixin examine their silver medals after losing to Turkiye in the Volleyball National League final in Arlington, Texas on Sunday. [Xinhua]

Team China's new generation starting to find their feet at just the right time

Winning the silver medal at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League in Arlington, the United States, on Sunday, the Chinese women's volleyball squad enjoyed their best result in the tournament, citing the key to the breakthrough as being their unity and never-say-die spirit.

"I just feel that our team is more united than ever," said Yuan Xinyue, Team China captain. "We support and help each other on the court. This is the most important reason behind our success. We don't want to put pressure on individual athletes. All of us should stand out on the court and shoulder the responsibility of winning."

"The two-month journey has ended, and it's great to stand on the top of the hill. We have firm determination, and we will keep moving forward. We cherish the road that we have walked.

"We will summarize events, and we will keep tackling the problems. We will also try hard and hold onto our dreams and the belief that the Chinese women's volleyball team can be the best."

Team China was one step away from gold, but the Turkish women's squad showed greater momentum in the final beating China 3-1 (25-22,22-25, 25-19, 25-16). As the Chinese squad only finished sixth at last year's VNL, the second-place finish was a surprise to domestic fans.

Sunday's final attracted huge media attention and generated a series of trending topics on social media. One example, the hashtag "Chinese women's volleyball team vs Turkish squad", had been viewed more than 1 billion times on Weibo by Monday morning. While many engaged in heated discussion about the final, many more expressed congratulations on the fast rise of the young women's squad.

"Although the Chinese women's team wasn't able to stand on the highest podium at the Volleyball Nations League, they still produced the best possible result by fighting together. Hand in hand, Team China players march forward together," read a commentary by China Sports Daily.

"Team China was not among the favorites to reach the final of the VNL, but the squad still managed to pocket a silver medal, which is huge progress compared to last year's result. They proved all the doubters wrong, and they showed the world what a united team they are."

Team China started this year's VNL journey in May, with three straight opening victories over Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands, before suffering its first group stage defeat to Japan. The following VNL fixtures were quite bumpy for the Chinese women's squad, as their performances were questioned by fans after defeats to Italy and the Dominican Republic in June.

However, Team China regained its momentum in the knockout stage, beating Brazil 3-1 in the quarterfinals last week and then defeated Poland 3-0 in the semifinals on Saturday to reach the final.

A number of young players impressed along the way and three Chinese players were named in this year's VNL Dream Team. Diao Linyu was considered the best setter of the tournament, Li Yingying was judged the best outside hitter, while the skipper, Yuan, was named this year's best middle blocker. Turkish star Melissa Vargas took home the Most Valuable Player award.

"We didn't think too much before the start of the event, and we didn't overthink the result. We don't need too much pressure. Also, we are not afraid of losing. We have very good mindset," said the 23-year-old Li, who scored a total of 291 points, ranking second in the top scorer chart.

"That's why no matter what we may encounter on the court, we can be brave enough to stick to our tactics. The event gave me huge confidence. And I just want to improve as much as possible. We have prepared for a long time for it. We have studied, in detail, all of our rivals and their key players. We were fully aware of the challenges that we would face. This is the result of a united effort."

According to Cai Bin, the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball squad, the team will resume training after returning to China from the US to prepare for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers and Hangzhou Asian Games. And he sees room for improvement.

"In terms of our tactics, I think we can be more aggressive on the court. I can see our players have tried their best and all of us wanted to win," said Cai.

"But, if we think too much about it, this kind of pressure will damage our performance. No matter the results, this is a valuable experience for Chinese players. They all deserve a round of applause for finishing the second.

"We are united, and we can improve after each match. I'm happy that we could achieve such a result, but I hope the Chinese women's team will always improve. We are a team on the rise, and we want to keep leveling up our strength, experience and ability to control the game."

The team has been a dominant force on the world stage, notably winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

With the retirement of legendary coach Lang Ping and a number of star veterans, the team is counting on the speedy development of a younger generation of players. The experience they have gained at the VNL is vital for the team to shine at the Asian Games this summer and the Paris Olympics next year.

"The VNL is vital for the young Chinese players to gain as much experience as possible, and enable them to integrate with the team more effectively. Competing against the world's best teams at the highest level is the best way to observe them and identify the team's strengths and weaknesses," read a China Sports Daily commentary.

"The team's overall performance was not very stable, but it's clear that there is growth. The team beat some tough rivals, which is a great confidence boost for the youngsters."

(Source: China Daily)