The South Korean men's volleyball team took a significant step toward winning its first Asian Games medal in eight years by defeating the Philippines in their opening match. After finishing without a medal in Hangzhou three years ago, the team shut out the Philippines in their first game of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Coached by Isanaye Ramirez, the South Korean team won their first match in Group D on September 27 at the Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, with a set score of 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-22) against the Philippines.
The match started smoothly for South Korea, which pulled ahead in the first set with strong blocking and side attacks. Lim Dong-hyuk and Jung Han-yong initiated the scoring, and with Han Tae-jun's blocking, South Korea secured the first set 25-16.
The second set proved to be more challenging. Struggling against the Philippines' quick attacks, South Korea fell behind 22-21 after consecutive points against them. In a tense deuce situation, they faced set point at 24-25. However, they capitalized on the Philippines' errors to turn the tide and won the set 27-25.
The third set remained competitive until the middle. Trailing 14-15, Choi Jun-hyuk leveled the score, followed by points from Im Seong-jin and more errors from the opponent, allowing South Korea to regain momentum. Lim Dong-hyuk consistently scored at crucial moments, and Lee Sang-hyun added a service point, leading to a 25-22 victory in the match.
Im Seong-jin led the team with 13 points, while Lim Dong-hyuk and Jung Han-yong also contributed with double-digit scores. The team managed to secure a win in their first match even without their main attacker, Heo Soo-bong, as the offense performed well across the board.
With this decisive victory over the Philippines, the team aims to shake off the disappointment from Hangzhou and restore their honor.
South Korea has won medals in 14 consecutive Asian Games from the 1966 Bangkok Games to the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. In 2018, they reached the finals but lost to Iran, earning a silver medal.
However, their momentum was halted at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where they lost to India in the group stage and were eliminated early after a 0-3 defeat to Pakistan in the Round of 12. They finished with their lowest-ever ranking of seventh. This marked the first time since the 1966 Bangkok Games that South Korea's men's volleyball team did not win a medal at the Asian Games.
South Korea will play Taiwan in their second group match on the 28th and face China on the 29th. The top two teams from the four-team group will advance to the quarterfinals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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