Jinan duo helps China claim Asian Games volleyball gold

For Wang Mengjie and Xie Shengyu, the road to Asian Games gold started in Jinan, long before they reached the national team.

China defeated hosts Japan 3-0 in the women's volleyball final at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on Sept 22, securing a third consecutive Asian Games title.

Both players began their volleyball careers with the Jinan team. At this year's Asian Games, Wang played a key defensive role as libero, while setter Xie made her debut at the event.

Born in Jinan in November 1995, Wang began training with the Jinan team in 2008. She joined the Shandong provincial team in 2011 and the national team in 2015, and has since won major titles, including the 2015 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup, 2016 Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women, the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup, where she was named the tournament's best libero. She also won gold at the 19th Asian Games.

In Nagoya, Wang anchored China's backcourt, delivering reliable first passes and making several crucial saves to help contain Japan's attacks.

Born in May 2004, Xie joined the Jinan team in 2015 before moving to the Shandong provincial team in 2019. She helped Jinan win two consecutive provincial Games titles and later contributed to China's gold medal at the 2023 Chengdu FISU World University Games.

Wang Mengjie makes a pass during the women's volleyball competition at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. [Photo/WeChat account: JiNanSports]