China beat the Netherlands. Captain Yuan Xinyue was at the center of it all.
China defeated the Netherlands 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21) in straight sets to send their home fans home happy in Week 2 of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2024 Women’s event in Macau, China, on Monday (Sept. 29). It was no easy task for the 2023 VNL runners-up. They were victimized by a shaky performance, dropping the first set.
Fortunately, a dominant performance from captain Yuan Xinyue in the second set helped the team regain their composure and secure their first win of Week 2. Yuan Xinyue was a dominant presence in every aspect of the game, from attacking, blocking, and serving, leading her team to victory. The Netherlands fought back against the mighty Chinese, with Else Dambrink and Indy Bayens playing well, 스포츠토토사이트 but were only able to take one set.
Brat Vongarz, Marit Jasper, Juliette Loewis, Else Dambrink, Nika Dahderop and Indy Bayens were the starting lineup for the Netherlands. The starting libero was Florien Lisink. China’s opposite side was led by captain Yuan Xinyue and included Diao Linyu, Gong Xiangyu, Wang Yuyuan, Wang Yunru and Li Yingying. Wang Mengjie wore the libero jersey.
The Netherlands got off to a good start, scoring the first four points of the first set after a good serve from Vongarz rattled China’s reception. China continued to struggle with the left side attacks of Wang Yunru and Li Yingying, while the Dutch were fortunate to have Marit Jasper’s dig go straight to the net at 8-4 and an attack error by Li Yingying at 12-6 to extend the gap to more than double points.
Still trailing, China rallied behind the MB duo of Wang Yuyuan-Yuan Xinyue after reaching the 10-point mark, and at 12-16, a sharp attack from Yuan Xinyue brought them within three points. However, the Dutch answered right back with a fast break from Bai Yens, and Bai Yens was responsible for a counter-attack point at 19-13 to reach 20 points. Still shaky, China continued its onslaught, holding the Dutch to 24 points and closing the gap to three points again. But that was it. The Netherlands took the first set 25-21, thanks to a pair of kills from Loewis.
The second set started strongly in favor of the Dutch. At 3-3, they took a three-point lead through a combination of a service point by Loewis, a net touch by Wang Mengjie and a hard hit by Dambrink. However, China quickly fought back, tying the set at 6-8 through back-to-back blocks by Yuan Xinyue and Diao Linyu, before back-to-back Dutch errors gave them an 11-8 three-point lead.
In the middle of the second set, which was a back-and-forth affair, Wu Mengjie and Dambrink exchanged unforgiving firepower. It was the Chinese who scored the first decisive point in a tightly contested game that reached the 20-point mark. At 22-21, Gong Xiangyu capitalized on the Dutch blockers to pull within two points. Wang Yuanyuan’s decisive direct attack put China on set point, but Wu Mengjie’s kill at 24-23 gave China the second set.
The Chinese bounced back and kept the momentum going early in the third set with consecutive points from Wang Yuyuan-Yuan Xinyue-Wu Mengjie. However, the Dutch responded with a variety of attacking options, and at 5-5, Dambrink’s serve brought them back into the match. However, China once again took the lead at 10-10 with an attack from Wu Mengjie and a serve from Wang Yuyuan.
From there, China gradually put the pressure on the Dutch. Gong Xiangyu’s hard hitting brought them within five points at 15-10, but the Dutch responded with back-to-back service points from Bai Yens after an attack error from Li Yingying at 15-18, sending shivers down the Chinese spine. China barely managed to regain the momentum with back-to-back points from Wu Mengjie and Li Yingying to reach 20 points, before a Yuan Xinyue kill at 24-23 clinched the third set.
The Netherlands took a slim lead in the fourth set, with Nova Maring energizing her team with some good offense, but at 7-7, Yuan Xinyue scored back-to-back lucky serves to give China the lead. At 10-11, a block by Jolien Nollema brought the Netherlands back into the game, but Yuan Xinyue once again answered with back-to-back fast-ball-direct attacks to make it 15-12.
Yuan Xinyue’s presence continued to shine. At 16-15, she proved why she is China’s captain by scoring another consecutive point with her sharp attack and serve. Of course, the Dutch resistance was strong late in the fourth set. At 17-19, Nolema scored back-to-back points to tie the game again just before the 20-point mark, but China, led by Li Yingying and Wang Yuanyuan, gradually gained the upper hand after the 20-point mark and reached match point at 23-20 with Yuan Xinyue’s exquisite ball handling. It was all Yuan Xinyue down the stretch. At 24-21, she closed out the match with a blistering speed attack.