South Korea’s U20 women’s volleyball team, led by head coach Jang Yoon-hee, is on track to reach the Asian Championship finals.
South Korea kicked off the 22nd Asian Junior Women’s U20 Volleyball Championship in Jiangmen, China, on Jan. 1.
A total of 12 teams, including host China, were divided into four groups. In Group D, Korea swept both Chinese Taipei and New Zealand 3-0 on the first and second days to top the group and advance to the 파워볼게임 quarterfinals.
Coach Jang Yoon-hee started setters Kim Da-eun (Mokpo Women’s College) and Shin Eun-ji Apojit (Jungkwanjang), outside hitters Lee Ju-ah (Mokpo Women’s College) and Jeon Da-bin (Jungang Women’s College), middle blockers Kim Se-bin (Korea Expressway Corporation) and Lee Ji-yoon (Jungang Women’s College), and libero Park Chae-min (Gangneung Women’s College) for the second straight match.
Middle blocker Lee Ji-yoon had a team-high 12 kills against New Zealand and totaled 21 points in the two matches.
Lee Ju-ah also had 17 points in the two matches, while captain Kim Se-bin and setter Kim Da-eun both had 13 points apiece. Shin Eun-ji also had 12 points in two games. Setter Kim Da-eun, in particular, set the tone for the team with four serves in two consecutive matches.
After a strong showing in the group stage, South Korea finished first in the group. They will face the first and second-place teams from Group B and the second-place team from Group D, Chinese Taipei, in Pool F of the quarterfinals.
South Korea, which already has one win in the quarterfinals with a victory over Chinese Taipei, will face the second-place team from Group B on Friday. On the sixth, they will face defending champions Japan, who topped Pool B.
According to the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), head coach Chang Yun-hee said after the group stage match, “Chinese Taipei is a small but fast team. We were able to cope with them well. New Zealand was taller but not as fast. We learned how to deal with them.” “We will face Japan in the quarterfinals, and we will work harder to get a good result,” he said.
The top four teams in the tournament will qualify for next year’s FIVB U21 World Championship. South Korea will be hunting for both a ticket to the World Championships and a spot in the final of this tournament.
Korea’s U20 women’s national team won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1980. Since then, they have finished runner-up four times (1990- 1992-1998-2010) and third eight times. Most recently, they won the bronze medal in 2014. She finished fifth in 2016 and 2018, and fourth in 2022.
Jang Yun-hee-ho’s goal is to reach the final. South Korea will be trying to reach the final for the first time in 14 years after finishing runner-up in 2010.
South Korea’s biggest weapon is teamwork. Jang Yun-hee took charge of the U17 team in 2020 and then the U18 team in 2022, where he worked with the current squad. “I believe in the potential of the players. I hope we can reach the final and play against strong teams,” he said. He hopes for a happy ending in Jiangmen.
Meanwhile, Japan, who have won the tournament a record seven times, will be looking to make it three in a row. China, who finished as runners-up in 2018 and 2022, will be looking to win their first title in eight years after 2016. The Chinese, who have won the most trophies in their history with 12, will also be keen to bring home the trophy.