BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Despite a lackluster performance in the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, the Chinese men's volleyball team has gained valuable experience, head coach Wu Sheng told Xinhua on Sunday.
The Chinese men finished at the bottom of 16 participating teams in the preliminary round with two wins against 10 losses, one win short of their 3-9 record last year.
"We lost a lot of games, but we also gained experience from playing against the top teams of the world," said Wu. "We will improve our game and try to have better performance at the Asian Games in Hangzhou and the Olympic Qualifying Tournament."
Wu believed that the Chinese team needed to be more consistent and balanced in attack to have better results against strong opponents.
"Sometimes we played well, sometimes we found it hard to score. We need better combination and a more balanced attack," he added.
Outside hitter Zhang Jingyin, who had played for Poland's Trefl Gdansk since February, emerged as China's sharpest weapon as he ranked fourth in the best scorers' standings with 201 points in 12 matches.
"Obviously he is improving, he is benefiting from the experience in Poland," Wu said. "We encourage our players to play in high level leagues abroad, but they also need time to adapt and demonstrate what they have learned in the games with the national team."
Having missed the Olympic Games in London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, the Chinese men's team is fighting for a berth in the Paris Olympic Games with the Olympic Qualifying Tournament Pool C matches slated for September 30 to October 8 in Xi'an, China. China will face Bulgaria, Belgium, Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands, Argentina and Poland, with the top two finishers from the single round-robin to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
"All the teams are eager to go to Paris. We will try our best and take a game at a time," Wu said. ■
