The South Korean women's volleyball team, aiming for its first Asian Games medal in eight years, decisively defeated Qatar, achieving its second consecutive win in the group stage of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Under the guidance of head coach Cha Sang-hyun, South Korea (ranked 28th by the International Volleyball Federation) triumphed over Qatar (ranked 106th) with a set score of 3-0 (25-6, 25-6, 25-10) in the second match of Group D held at Komaki Park Arena in Japan on September 17.
This victory follows their win against Hong Kong the previous day, marking two straight wins without dropping a single set. Notably, the match against Qatar concluded in just 54 minutes.
Key players Jeong Ho-young (Heungkuk Life) and Park Eun-jin (Korea Expressway Corporation) stood out, scoring 15 and 14 points, respectively, to lead the team's offense. Park Eun-seo (Pepper Savings Bank) also contributed with 11 points.
During the match, South Korea managed player fatigue by adjusting the playing time of key athletes, including middle blocker Lee Da-hyun (NEC Red Rockets) and captain Kang So-hwi (Korea Expressway Corporation). They substituted in Jeong Ho-young and Yook Seo-young (IBK Industrial Bank) to enhance the overall match readiness of the team.
Despite these adjustments, the team's performance remained strong. South Korea quickly took control in the first set, scoring 10 consecutive points to lead 11-4 and easily secured the set.
In the second set, leading 6-2, Jeong Ho-young delivered three consecutive service points, allowing South Korea to maintain dominance and win the set 25-6, mirroring the first set's score.
The third set also saw South Korea build a significant lead of over 10 points early on. The match concluded with Park Eun-seo's attack, sealing the victory at 24-10.
With this second consecutive win, South Korea now leads its group and will face Vietnam (ranked 32nd) in the final group stage match on September 18 at 4 PM at the same venue.
In this tournament, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals. For South Korea to secure a spot in the quarterfinals as the group leader, a victory over Vietnam is essential.
If South Korea loses to Vietnam and finishes second in the group, it will face the likely group winner from Group B, which is expected to be China (ranked 7th).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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