Chinese superstar Zhu Ting spikes during Friday's five-set semifinal loss to Italy. Zhu tallied 26 points in that match and was named in the championship's All-Star team to cement her status as one of the world's best volleyball players. （XINHUA）
Even superstar Zhu Ting, the 2016 Rio Games MVP, found the going hard.
"This has been no doubt the toughest tournament that I ever played since I joined the national team six years ago," said Zhu, who plays for Istanbul-based club VakifBank.
Zhu's superb 26-point haul against the Italians again showed China's over-reliance on the 23-year-old.
However, the performances of 18-year-old Li Yingying－especially her 20 points against the Dutch－boded well on that front.
Li capped her breakout season for Tianjin in this year's China Volleyball League with a massive 43-point tally in the last game of the finals, totaling 206 points over the seven-match series.
She racked up 804 points over the season, making her the youngest player in CVL history to break the 800-point mark, and her emergence on the international stage in Japan looks set to relieve some of the pressure on Zhu.
"The season just made me a more mature player with a better mentality," said Li.
Lang, meanwhile, is sure the learning curve at the championship can only benefit the squad in the long run.
"Sometimes, losing is not necessarily a bad thing. It shows that we are lagging behind and need to make more effort," she said.
"We will take some time off now and decide the best way forward."
