The South Korean women’s national volleyball team is flying high to strike a resurgence spike.
The team will look to put their recent slump behind them at the Asian Women’s Volleyball Championships in Thailand next month from Feb. 2-10.
After the Asian Championships, the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers from Sept. 16-24 and the Hangzhou Asian Games from Oct. 1-7 await.
The national team has been in a deep slump since the retirement of Kim Yeon-kyung, Yang Hyo-jin and Kim Soo-ji, who led the team to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Since the arrival of head coach Cesar Hernandez Gonzalez, the team has suffered an abysmal 1-28 record in international competition (24 losses in the VNL and 1-4 at the World Championships).
Even in a year that was supposed to be marked by a generational change, the team’s 12-match losing streak in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) came as a shock not only to volleyball fans but also to the players.
South Korea, once ranked 12th in the world after reaching the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, has now dropped 21 places to 35th.
The players, who met at the Jincheon National Athletic Center in Chungcheongbuk-do on Sunday, could not hide their disappointment and bitterness.
However, they were equally determined to remain confident and not give up in the face of their shortcomings.
“We all have the same goal of winning a medal at the Asian Games, so if we work hard together, we will have good results,” said captain Park Jung-ah (Pepper Savings Bank). “We are talking about doing things slowly and one by one, starting with the Asian Championships.”
Kang So-hwi (GS Caltex), who scored the most points (83) in this year’s VNL with Kim Da-eun (Heungkuk Life), said, “If we play as a ‘one-team’ with our sisters and brothers and play organized, we will have good results.” “There are many new competitions, so we are training energetically to raise the atmosphere.”
However, Kang So-hwi got a little teary-eyed as he recalled his heartache at VNL.
“I’m not used to losing, so whenever the defeats piled up, I really wanted to cry and give up,” Kang recalled, “but at those times, I just looked at (my teammates) and found strength in each other.”
“Last year, we tended to get lost because it was our first time after our older sisters retired, but now we’re used to it,” said starting middle blocker Lee Da-hyun (Hyundai E&C), adding, “I feel that the four middle blockers (Park Eun-jin, Jung Ho-young, and Lee Ju-ah) have grown a bit.”
“We’re going to watch the VNL video and try to make up for our deficiencies and utilize our strengths,” he said, adding, “We’re going to play with confidence because our chemistry with the players has improved.” 메이저사이트
The oldest player, Pyo Seung-ju (IBK), said, “I’m working hard to continue the path that my sisters have made, but in a better way.” “I’m determined to set an example for the older players like Park Jung-ah, Moon Jung-won, and others,” he added.
Kim Da-eun, who has established herself as the next generation of apogee spikers at VNL, said confidently, “I knew I could do it, and my confidence has risen a lot.”