The Korea Women’s National Volleyball Team is back in search of its first win and first point in the second week of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023.
The Women’s National Team, coached by Cesar Gonzalez, will kick off Week 2 against home team Brazil (World No. 1) in Brasilia, Brazil, at 9:00 a.m. on April 15 (KST).
The team will then play Japan (No. 7) at 5:30 a.m. on the 16th, Croatia (No. 30) at 5:30 a.m. on the 17th, and Germany (No. 12) at 5:30 a.m. on the 19th to close out Week 2.메이저놀이터
South Korea failed to win a single set in four matches in Week 1 in Antalya, Turkey, and lost four straight games 0-3 to remain at the bottom of the 16 nations participating in the VNL.
The only other country like South Korea that hasn’t won a set and lost four matches is Croatia.
South Korea is 15th, ahead of Croatia in goals scored, while Croatia is last.
Serbia (5th) and the Netherlands (13th) have also lost four matches in a row, but they are above Korea in points.
As a result of the poor results in Week 1, South Korea’s world ranking, which was 23rd before the tournament, dropped three spots to 26th.
This puts us in an even tougher position as we need to improve our world ranking to qualify for next year’s Paris Olympics.
For the women’s volleyball team, who are starting over from scratch, Croatia is the first sacrificial lamb.
Brazil, Japan, and Germany are the powerhouses with three wins each in Week 1.
The team hopes that knocking off Croatia and earning three points will boost their confidence.
Instead of a fixed lineup, Coach Gonzalez is trying to find the optimal combination by playing a setter and both wings evenly.
Park Jung-ah (Pepper Savings Bank) scored 27 points, the most of any Korean player.
After traveling from Turkuye to Brazil and spending more than ten days jetlagged and acclimatized, the team will need to break out of the habit of playing evenly matched games and then collapsing at once to improve their performance.
As the offense improves, led by setter Kim Da-in, the defense will be crucial to their first win.
South Korea will return home after Week 2 and close out the qualifiers with Week 3 matches against Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, China, and Poland starting June 27 at the Seosuwon Chilbo Gymnasium in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do.