Yuan Xinyue is a Chinese female volleyball player who plays as a Middle Blocker. She is a member of the China women's national volleyball team and plays for Bayi since 2014. At 2.01m, Yuan is the tallest player in the history of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team. Her impressive height advantage allows her to have a formidable presence at the net, and she is widely considered one of the key players in the team alongside her teammates Zhu Ting and Zhang Changning.
Career
Yuan Xinyue started her career as a professional volleyball player in the Bayi team, which represents the People's Liberation Army in national competitions. Her outstanding performance at the 2013 U18 World Championships, in which she was recognised as the Most Valuable Player, caught the eye of Chinese Women's Volleyball Team's head coach, Lang Ping. That year, she was selected to join the senior team's training camp, and officially joined the senior squad in 2014. Yuan was part of the Chinese national team at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Italy, where she won the silver medal after China lost to the USA in the finals. In recognition of her impressive performance at the World Championship, she was awarded the Best Newcomer award at the 2014 CCTV Sports Personality Awards. In the following year, she participated in the 2015 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, as well as the 2015 FIVB World Cup, where she helped the team win its first gold at a major world tournament after more than a decade. In 2016, she represented China in the Rio Olympic Games.The team went on to win its 3rd gold medal, after victories in 1984 and 2004. In 2017, she represented China in the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix and the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup, and helped the team win gold in the latter. She was awarded the Best Middle Blocker award in the World Grand Champions Cup. In 2018, Yuan took part in the inaugural Volleyball Nations League, in which the team won bronze. In August, Yuan took part in the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The team dominated the competition with eight 3-0 victories and won the championship title without dropping a single set. In October, Yuan represented China in the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championships held in Japan. The team won bronze after being defeated by Italy in the semi-finals, in a gruelling five-set match. In 2019, Yuan took part in the 2nd Volleyball Nations League. During the group stage held in Hong Kong, China faced the same Italy squad which defeated them in the 2018 World Championships. After losing 0-2, China went on to win three consecutive sets, eventually securing a surprising 3-2 victory against Italy. Yuan played a crucial role in this victory. In particular, her block at set point in the third set helped China stay in the game. In September 2019, Yuan again represented China in the FIVB Women's World Cup, in which China secured yet another world title after eleven straight wins. Throughout the tournament, China only lost three sets against their opponents. Yuan was a key figure in this overwhelming victory. She participated at the 2019 Montreux Volley Masters.
