At 19:30 on December 29, 2009, the 8th round of matches in Group B of 2009-2010 Anta National Women s Volleyball League formally started, with EWVT, which has won 6 games running and obtained the half-way champion, taking on Hebei team in its third home game. Just as expected, EWVT spent only 63 minutes licking the opponent easily 3:0 (25:12, 25:10, 25:12), achieve the proud result of winning all the 7 games.
EWVT playing on home court sent all its key players to the ground. Faced with the tough opponent, the young players of Hebei team were fully prepared and dared not slacken off.
At the onset of the first set, the poor first pass of Hebei team was fully exposed. Seizing hold of the opportunity, EWVT stormed into a 5:0 lead through drops and spikes. When the second technical timeout came, Hebei team found itself in a big deficit of 5:16. Although the match had no suspense, EWVT never let up and pressed hard at the 2nd and 4th places to win the first set easily at 25:12.
In the second set, a counter attack by Hebei team gave it a temporary 2:0 lead. Then, EWVT reinforced spikes and drops to get into the first technical timeout with a 8:3 lead. After the timeout, a succession of spikes by No. 9 Zhou Yuan of EWVT at the 4th place and the drops and spikes by No. 7 Zhou Suhong at the 2nd place caught Hebei team off guard time and again. Trailing far behind, Hebei team made frequent substitutions, but failed to save the situation. In the end, EWVT closed the set at 25:10 with a spike by No. 12 at the 4th place.
After losing two sets in a row, Hebei team got its shape back somewhat in the 3rd set. The points scored repeatedly through blocking and spikes won the respect and applause of the audience on the home court of EWVT for the mired Hebei team, who continuously cheered for Hebei team in demonstration of the good manners of the hosts. With nothing to lose, Hebei team showed a good play now and then. Still, the set was closed at 25:12, reflecting the sharp disparity in strength between the two teams.
It is learnt that EWVT still has five games ahead. The next game will be on January 3, 2010, with EWVT playing at home again against its Fujian counterpart
In spite of the great disparity in strength, Coach Lang still arranged her tactics seriously.
Wall-like Blocking of EWVT
Key Players of EWVT Cheering for Teammates Off Court
Volleyball Babies Brimming with Vigor