▲ South Korean women's national volleyball team
The South Korean women's national volleyball team (ranked 33rd in the world), led by head coach Cha Sang-hyun, has advanced to the final of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup after defeating a tough Vietnam side (ranked 28th).
The national team secured a 3-0 victory (25-20, 25-19, 25-22) against Vietnam in the tournament semifinals held at the Candon City Arena in the Philippines today (June 13).
South Korea will face Taiwan (ranked 34th), their opponent from the final match of the group stage, to compete for the championship trophy at 8:00 PM tomorrow.
The national team previously defeated Taiwan 3-2 in a hard-fought five-set match yesterday.
By showcasing superior performance against the B-group runner-up Vietnam, South Korea avenged their losses from the 2023 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship and the group stage of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held that same year.
At that time, South Korea had won the first two sets in both tournaments against Vietnam but ultimately suffered comeback defeats after losing three consecutive sets.
Those results became symbolic of the national team's recent struggles.
Having lost repeatedly to Vietnam—a team once considered an underdog in Asian volleyball—South Korean women's volleyball experienced a steep decline, eventually falling behind Vietnam in the world rankings.
Vietnam was considered the biggest obstacle to South Korea's championship bid in this tournament as well.
However, South Korea overwhelmed Vietnam by demonstrating exceptional focus during critical moments of the match.
The first set was intense from the start.
After leading 17-12, South Korea allowed their opponents to close the gap to 22-20, facing a moment of crisis.
At that point, South Korea shifted the momentum by re-inserting opposite spiker Na Hyun-soo (Hyundai E&C) and starting setter Kim Da-in (Hyundai E&C).
Following this, consecutive points from Lee Ye-rim (Hyundai E&C) and a quick attack from Park Eun-jin (JungKwanJang) secured the first set.
In the second set, team captain and star hitter Kang So-hwi (Korea Expressway Corporation) played the role of the closer.
She played a decisive role in bringing the set score to 2-0 by scoring consecutive points when the score was 23-19.
South Korea closed out the match in the third set.
Trailing 18-20, the national team leveled the score at 20-20 thanks to consecutive service aces by Kim Da-in.
After a long rally, Lee Ye-rim successfully executed an open attack to turn the game around at 21-20.
At 23-21, Lee Ye-rim scored with a touch-out attack, and at 24-22, an attack error by the opponent confirmed South Korea's advancement to the final.
Lee Ye-rim recorded a match-high 19 points, including three service aces and one block, while Kang So-hwi and Na Hyun-soo each contributed 14 points.
Vietnam will face Kazakhstan (ranked 36th) in the third-place match.
Japan (ranked 4th), China (ranked 6th), and Thailand (ranked 23rd), which are participating in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL), did not compete in this tournament.
(Photo: AVC website capture, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.