Chinese beach volleyball pair Xue Chen and Zhang Xi have made the International Volleyball Federation's (FIVB) Roster 100 – the list of the greatest 100 volleyball players in the 10 years since 2010 – announced the global volleyball governing body on Friday.

Xue and Zhang have won multiple titles in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships. They pocketed the bronze medal of the sport in the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008 and claimed the title in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Stare Jablonki in 2013, becoming the only Asian pair to ever win that honor.

"From 2006 to 2013, Xue Chen and Zhang Xi stepped up with stellar performances for China and showed the world that they were truly a world-class team," said FIVB in a statement.

"Xue was my partner for seven years and those were the most important and most remarkable years of my life. We have a lot of good memories on and off the court because she is the kind of partner who always inspires and teaches you to live in the moment. She was never afraid to step out of her comfort zone and try something new," said Zhang to FIVB.

"I enjoyed every moment we played together and those that we spent outside the court. The most fascinating thing was how it taught us to support each other and believe in the partnership no matter what. In those seven years, we were able to experience the ups and downs of playing, but we always believed that we could become a better partner for each other," she added. 

"Since we spent most of our time together for seven years, we got to know each other really well. We are like sisters and we are friends for life. Zhang Xi has that strong ability to accomplish things as long as she sets her mind to it. She never hesitates and that is a great quality that has helped her reach her goals over and over again. She's strong on the court, but she is very thoughtful and gentle off the court. That's why she gets along well with everyone," said Xue.

"As partners, we complemented each other. She is calmer and I am more aggressive. She is more stable than I am, especially in difficult situations. So she would always be the one who would get us out of a deadlock. As for the common traits, we were both competitive. We shared the same goals and we communicated well and when we faced different problems, we found solutions right away. I think these were the things that made us a successful combination," she said. 

When they recalled one of their most memorable moments in career – it was winning the title in the World Championships in 2013. Xue and Zhang said they were both suffering from injuries back then – Xue's shoulder, Zhang's back – and did not think they stood a chance at winning at the onset.

"We played the German team (Karla Borger/Britta Buthe) in the final. They were the most improved team that year. I don't like playing tight matches, but we won by two points in the third set to win the title. That was so intense, but it was definitely exciting," said Zhang.

According to Xue, they did not realize they were making the history back then so they only had an understated celebration. Xue said if they had taken the opportunity to do better publicity, the beach volleyball would perhaps draw more attention in China today.

After winning the championship in the FIVB World Tour Gstaad Grand Slam in 2013, Zhang decided to retire. Later she acquired a law degree from Nanjing University and is currently working toward an LLM program (Master of Laws) at Chapman University in California.

Xue is preparing for the Tokyo Olympics in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province at the moment.