[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] On the 31st, the South Korean women's volleyball team aims to achieve two goals: victory in the 'Korea-Japan match' and securing a spot in the quarterfinals. Ace Kim Yeon-koung, who has been warming up, is showing explosive scoring ability with each game, and the left-right duo Park Jeong-ah and Kim Hee-jin are also performing brilliantly. If they win this weekend's match, they will virtually secure their place in the quarterfinals on their own.
The South Korean women's volleyball team currently holds 5 points (2 wins, 1 loss) in preliminary Group A, ranking third behind Serbia (9 points) and Brazil (8 points). In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, six teams in Groups A and B each play once, and the top four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals. Japan, their opponent, is barely holding 4th place with 3 points (1 win, 2 losses). If South Korea defeats Japan and possibly rises to the top ranks of Group A, the quarterfinal matchups will also be favorable. This is because the top teams from Group A face the lower-ranked teams from Group B in a cross-tournament format.
There is another reason why South Korea must defeat Japan: revenge. The South Korean women's volleyball team aimed to win a medal for the first time in 36 years at the 2012 London Olympics but lost to Japan in the bronze medal match. Although they avenged this loss in the group stage of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, they were completely defeated 0-3 in sets last month at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL). Ranked 14th in the world, South Korea is considered relatively weaker compared to Japan, which is ranked 5th, so they must face them with their best performance.
The fortunate thing is that our players are showing improved performance. The 'Empress' Kim Yeon-koung scored a team-high 20 points in the match against the Dominican Republic on the 29th, delivering powerful spikes and ironclad blocks at critical moments. Her attack success rate was an excellent 47.06%. While leading the team's offense, Kim Yeon-koung also made the most receptions on the team with 22, achieving a reception success rate of 73.33%. She proved herself to be a flawless 'world-class' player with both offensive and defensive skills. Kim Yeon-koung expressed her determination for the Korea-Japan match, saying, "Korea and Japan know each other very well. They will likely focus their marking on me, but I will do my best to break through it."
Kim Yeon-koung is not the only key player for Korea. The left and right pillars of our offense, Park Jeong-ah and Kim Hee-jin, are also fighting hard and contributing to the team's victory. Both players scored 16 points each in the match against the Dominican Republic. Kim Hee-jin scored a team-high 20 points alone in the victory against Kenya on the 27th. Park Jeong-ah also scored 9 points against the world’s strongest Brazil in the first match, ranking second in team scoring after Kim Yeon-koung. Although South Korea's heavy reliance on Kim Yeon-koung has been cited as a major weakness, their strong performances are showing a different team energy than before.
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