Li Yingying signs for Numia Vero Volleyball Milan, will play with Paola Egonu

Market hit for Numia Vero Volley Milan, which announced through its press office that it has a new international caliber female setter: in fact, the purchase of Li Yingying is official. The 25-year-old Chinese, fresh from a brilliant experience in her country and a member of the national team, is ready to bring all her talent to Italian and European volleyball. Li Yingying will be the first Chinese player to wear the colors of Vero Volleyball. Born in Qiqihar, Yingying made a name for herself at a very young age, winning a bronze medal at the Under-19 World Championships at just 15 years old.

From 2015 to the present, Paola Egonu and Anna Danesi’s new teammate played for Tianjin Bohai Bank, collecting seven titles in the Chinese Super League and earning MVP honors five times. Her palmares with the club also include podium finishes at the Club World Cup in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, taking third and second place, respectively. During the last two editions, hoard of individual awards for the Chinese band awarded – on both occasions – as the competition’s best female setter, in addition to being the top scorer at the last World Cup.

With the Chinese national team, Yingying has had some great achievements: she won a bronze (2018) and a silver (2023) in the Volleyball Nations League, a bronze at the 2018 World Cup and a gold at the 2019 World Cup. The formalization of the contract will be subject to passing medical examinations, which Li will conduct upon his arrival in Italy scheduled for Dec. 1. “I am really happy to be part of Numia Vero Volley Milan, I can&#8217t wait to start – said the talented Asian athlete -. I will work hard together with my new teammates to achieve the best possible results. See you in Milan”.

Wednesday it was all easy or almost easy for Numia Vero Volley Milan, which made its Champions debut with a clear 3-0 home win against the Greek champions of Olympiacos Piraeus’Olympiacos. At the Opiquad Arena in Monza, with a good crowd (nearly 2,000 spectators), coach Stefano Lavarini opted for a major turnover: resting Paola Egonu, Anna Danesi and Khalia Lanier. The reserves in the first set were enough against the Hellenic women, but in the second one they suffered a lapse and on 15-17 it was necessary to insert captain Egonu who contributed to the comeback until the decisive 27-25. The third set was without history, with Olympiacos raising the white flag while Milan quickly closed the accounts saving precious energy ahead of Sunday’s derby against Busto Arsizio.