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China’s women’s national volleyball team captain and superstar spiker Zhu Ting will continue representing Tianjin Bohai Bank for the Chinese Volleyball Super League (CVL)’s new season as she showed up wearing her regular No. 5 jersey with the team at a pre-season charity match in Tianjin on Saturday.
Having spearheaded the team for their 12th CVL title without conceding a single match last season, Zhu had listed Tianjin as her top choice for the upcoming new season, which is scheduled to take off in a tournament format in Jiangmen, southeast China’s Guangdong Province on November 12. “Thanks to our last season’s cooperation, I’ve developed really good relationships with my teammates as well as the club. I look forward to my future cooperation with the team,” said Zhu, who won her first domestic league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) with Tianjin last year. Before joining Tianjin last season, the 25-year-old Chinese spiker had an incredible ride at the Turkish women’s volleyball club Vakifbank Istanbul for three seasons, sweeping a haul of trophies, including the esteemed FIVB Club World Championships and CEV Champions League.
She pressed the pause button for her overseas journey last year, joining Tianjin Bohai Bank and playing at China’s domestic volleyball league all for one goal in mind – 2020 Tokyo Olympics. That goal also plays a crucial factor in her choice to stay with the Tianjin team. The coaching staff Zhu works with at the Tianjin Bohai Bank, many of them are part of the national team’s coaching squad. And some of Zhu’s teammates at Team Tianjin, such as Yao Di and Li Yingying, are also national team players who will fight with Zhu in Tokyo. Lang Ping, the head coach of China’s women’s national volleyball team, has been considerate in giving advice upon Zhu’s joining of Tianjin. “Coach Lang told me to follow the team’s instructions and finish training and all kinds of tasks as planned by the team. At the same time, I should go and communicate whenever I have sustained an injury,” said Zhu.
“She also encouraged me to reach a level of communications with the team where we are familiar with each other’s needs.” Due to her right wrist’s injury, Zhu has taken an eight-week-long break and thus missed out on the Chinese Women’s Volleyball Championships which concluded earlier this month. Working on getting back on court, Zhu is optimistic about her recovery and has tremendous trust on the club’s physiotherapist Daniel Wai Hong, who is also the therapist with the national team. “I will gradually get back my form through each game and work with Daniel to make plans. He can really help me achieve many impossible tasks, and I think I will be fine,” said Zhu. Tianjin Bohai Bank claimed league championship last season, and with Zhu, it is on course to their 13th league title. However, Zhu has set her vision beyond securing another domestic crown. “Everything is for the Olympics, no matter it is the game or the training,” said Zhu. “We need to work on our weaknesses through this domestic league competition as well as the training session leading up to the Olympics.”
(Cover image: Zhu Ting stand with teammates during a preseason charity volleyball game of the 2020-2021 Chinese Volleyball Super League in Tianjin, China, October 17, 2020. /VCG)
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