New-look China women's volleyball team opens VNL campaign in Beijing

A revamped Chinese women's volleyball team is set to begin its 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) campaign on home soil, as the Beijing leg of the tournament kicks off Wednesday at the National Indoor Stadium.

At a pre-tournament press conference Tuesday, newly appointed head coach Zhao Yong and team captain Gong Xiangyu expressed both hope and determination ahead of their opening match against Belgium.

"Playing at home brings both pressure and motivation, but the motivation is greater," said Zhao, 49, who took over as head coach last month, succeeding Cai Bin. "It has been years since a major international tournament was held in Beijing, and for this new generation of players, it is more of an encouragement."

China's 18-player squad for the Beijing leg features a host of newcomers, with more than half making their national team debut. The roster includes Wu Mengjie, Zhuang Yushan, Tang Xin, and Dong Yuhan as outside hitters; Wang Yuanyuan, Wan Ziyue, Shan Linqian, Chen Houyu, and Wang Aoqian as middle blockers; Gong Xiangyu, Yang Shuming, and Fan Boning as opposites; Zou Jiaqi, Yin Xiaolan, and Zhang Zixuan as setters; and Ni Feifan, Wang Mengjie, and Zheng Xinyi as liberos.

"All the athletes have shown great commitment and a strong desire to bring honor to the country and the team," Zhao said. "We hope to grow and improve through tough competition."

Gong, 28, now in her 10th year with the national team, said the players are supporting one another as they embrace a new chapter.

"We are a completely new team. Every chance to play against world-class opponents is a valuable learning opportunity," she said. "The encouragement among teammates is our greatest strength."

China will face Belgium in its opening match. The two teams last met at the 2022 FIVB Women's World Championship, where China earned a straight-set victory (25-18, 25-18, 27-25). In that match, Belgium's outside hitter Britt Herbots posted a match-high 21 points.

"Belgium has a very strong and complete outside hitter," Gong said. "We are fully focused on this match and hope to give our best performance in front of home fans."

Herbots, 25, missed nearly two years of international play due to injury but is now back with the Belgian national team. "Every VNL match is difficult for us," she said. "I hope to help the younger players enjoy the game and keep improving. I'm very happy to be back, and as an experienced player, I'll try to help the team with my experience."

The five-day Beijing leg features six teams: China, Belgium, Poland, Thailand, Türkiye, and France. All six will be in action Wednesday, with France taking on Türkiye and Thailand facing Poland.

After the opener against Belgium, China will meet Poland on Thursday, face France on Saturday, and wrap up with Türkiye on Sunday.

China, a traditional powerhouse in women's volleyball, has a decorated international history, with three Olympic gold medals (1984, 2004, 2016), two World Championship titles (1982, 1986), and five World Cup titles (1981, 1985, 2003, 2015, 2019).

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, China advanced through the group stage undefeated but fell short of the podium following a quarterfinal loss to Türkiye.