Shandong women's volleyball team leads Shanghai 2-1—are they on track to win the National Championship? Former national players Zhong Hui and Xu Xiaoting have no answers!

On August 18th Beijing time, the National Volleyball Championship saw its final showdown between Shandong and Shanghai. Both sides played with their full-strength squads: Shandong relied on their core league lineup—Sun Jie as opposite, Yang Hanyu and Wang Wenhan as middle blockers, Che Wenhan and Guo Xiangling as outside hitters, and the triplet Xie Shengyu as setter. Shanghai was led by former national players Xu Xiaoting and Zhong Hui, with Ouyang Qianxi in the starting lineup as well. Shandong currently leads Shanghai 2-1, with set scores of 26-24, 23-25, and 25-20—just one set away from clinching the title.

The first two sets were fiercely contested. In the opener, Shandong pulled ahead after a 24-all tie to win the set by taking two consecutive points. The second set was just as close, with Shanghai edging out Shandong 25-23 in the final moments to level the match at 1-1. In the third set, Shandong started on the back foot, but midway through, Shanghai’s persistent blocking was countered by Che Wenhan’s attacks, allowing Shandong to rally and take a 20-15 lead. Later in the set, Zhong Hui was substituted, and Shanghai managed to score two points in a row to narrow the gap to 17-20, prompting Shandong to call a timeout. After the break, Sun Jie’s spike helped Shandong regain control. Ultimately, Shandong took the set 25-20. Former national players Zhong Hui and Xu Xiaoting of Shanghai were unable to make a significant impact, delivering only average performances against Shandong.