Yang
Xilan (CHN)
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| When the Chinese
team changed its setter after the 1982 World Championships in Peru, Yang
Xilan had the enormous responsibility of living up to the achievements
of her predecessor, Sun Jinfang, who had been the team's mastermind
during China's glorious entry into the international scene. Victorious
at the 1981 Japan World Cup and the 1982 World Championships in Peru,
China had already branded themselves "the new threat" by
coming, out of the blue, and winning those two major tournaments. Yang
Xilan continued the Asian school's characteristic of having exceptional
setters at the helm of their teams, for China (or any other Asian team
for that matter) would not have been as successful without the setters
they produced: Yang Xilan, Su Huijuan, He Qi for China, and Kumi
Nakada for Japan.
Yang Xilan showed incredible mastery as early as the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, winning the gold medal against the heavily favoured host, the USA. With Lang Ping and Zhang Rongfang in her arsenal, as well as incredible middles Liang Yan and Yang Xiaojun, she used her wits and wizardry to create mind-boggling plays at the most unexpected moments. Though I consider her a notch less creative than Japanese setter Kumi Nakada, the reason why China dominated the 1980s and Japan didn't was the difference in offence. China had a far better attack, varied, quicker, deadlier, more aggressive, whereas Japan excelled primarily in defence and the creativeness of its setter.  Yang Xilan before 1986. Notice how they didn't use ANY ankle-protection back then! And those hardwood floors... And then God made Taraflex.  Yang Xilan exulting at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. China didn't produce its best results, but still, during their finest moments they played some spectacular volleyball. In this photo, she celebrates after hitting one of two crucial kills against Peru in the fifth game. Unfortunately, they lost that game after leading 14-9. [FIVB Photo Archive] Yang Xilan continued to be the brain of her team through the 1985 Gala Match (in which she helped stage an incredible comeback from 2-9 in the fifth set against the World All-Stars who were just steamrolling to an apparent victory), and the 1986 World Championships in Czechoslovakia where they won the title. But after that things started to get a little awkward for Yang Xilan and her team. The 1980s had started out as "their decade" but gradually the other international teams began to catch up. At the 87 Japan Cup (the first tournament to experiment with rally point), retired middle-hitter Liang Yan was replaced by rookie Li Yueming. The tall and lanky player was barely 18 years old, and though she connected well with Yang Xilan her inexperience proved to be the weak link in the team. They failed to win that tournament but knew very well that one of their crucial positions was in transition. At the 88 Seoul Olympics, China arrived with much more confidence.
Li Yueming was more confident, and opposite hitter Zheng Meizhu was
replaced by Wu Dan, an all-around player
who had been on the bench since 1985, I believe, and who had seen and
learned a lot by practicing with Lang Ping, Zhang Rongfang, and other
great players. Yang Xilan showed her first signs of vulnerability in
their pool play match against Peru, when they gave up a 14-9 lead in
the fifth set to lose the match to the South American underdogs. As
the Peruvians were nearing in to tie at 14, Yang Xilan looked nervous,
relying heavily on her outside hitter Jiang
Ying and versatile Wu Dan. But nerves got to her in the end,
and China lost that match and went on to lose a semifinal against the
USSR by an astounding 3-0 (15-0 in the first set!!). Though I never
saw that semifinal match, it is hard to visualise the Chinese team
falling apart after dominating international volleyball for so long.
It must have been a terrible moment for China, regardless of the bronze
medal they won by defeating a dispirited Japan (who had fallen two
points short of a trip to the gold medal match). Yang Xilan didn't
play any major tournaments after Seoul, but barring this particularly
bad chapter for her team, she earned many honours as best setter throughout
her career, including the MVP award at the 86 World's. A truly incredible
setter, Yang Xilan set the standard during the mid-1980s as the best
setter of her time. |
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