Players of Shandong celebrate after scoring a point against Tianjin in the China Women's Volleyball Super League in north China's Tianjin Municipality, November 12, 2024. /China Volleyball Association
Shandong defeated Tianjin 3-1 in the China Women's Volleyball Super League in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Tuesday, giving the defending champions their fourth loss of the season.
Tianjin began the first set as the leading side during most of the time, but Shandong fought with consistent resilience before tying it 19-19 and outclassing the opponents 29-27 in the high-scoring battle, leading 1-0 in the game.
The second set remained close but Tianjin committed more errors in the middle of it. Though Li Yingying launched a series of sharp attacks to help the home team tie the score 16-16, her side still fell short in the end 28-26 and trailed 2-0 in the game.
Tianjin clinched one game back 25-22 in the third set thanks to the dominant performance by Wang Yuanyuan at the end of the set. Then they began the fourth with a 8-4 lead, but Shandong rallied with better aggression and sealed the deal 25-21 in the end.
Li contributed 36 points for Tianjin, but nine of her spikes were blocked. She was one of the best-performing players on the court, but Shandong overpowered Tianjin with better teamwork.