BEIJING - Former national assistant coach Wang Baoquan will replace Cai Bin as the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team, the Chinese Volleyball Association (CVA) announced on Thursday.

After one year and two days in charge, Cai stepped down following a series of disappointing results with the Athens Olympic champions and bronze medalists at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Last year, the Chinese women lost to arch-rivals Japan twice in a row in June before managing only one victory at the World Grand Prix final round in Japan two months later.