Korea falls to Japan in continental women's volleyball championship
Korea lost 3-0 to tournament favorite Japan in its second Pool C match, dropping to one win and one loss in the pool stage of the AVC Women's Volleyball Continental Championship.
Outside hitter Yuk Seo-young, left, hits a spike over Japan's block in an AVC Women's Volleyball Continental Championship 2026 match in Tianjin, China, on Aug. 23.
FIVB
Korea’s women’s volleyball team fell to Japan on Sunday, dropping to one win and one loss in the pool stage of the AVC Women’s Volleyball Continental Championship 2026.
Korea lost 3-0 to tournament favorite Japan in its second Pool C match at Tianjin Olympic Center Gymnasium in Tianjin, China, after opening the tournament with a 3-1 win over Vietnam on Saturday. Japan took the three sets 33-31, 25-19 and 25-20.
Korea came the closest to taking a set in the opener. Outside hitter Kang So-hwi and opposite hitter Na Hyun-soo led the attack from the left and right as they had against Vietnam. Middle blocker Lee Da-hyeon scored seven points, including two from blocks.
The two sides reached deuce eight times before Japan eventually took the first set 33-31.
Korea regrouped and took an early lead in the second set, staying level with Japan through 14-14. But Japan then scored six consecutive points and went on to take the set 25-19.
The third set followed a similar pattern. The teams traded points early before Japan pulled ahead midway through the set, eventually closing it out 25-20 to clinch a straight-sets victory.
Na led Korea with 15 points, including two service aces, followed by Yuk Seo-young with 12 and Lee with 11. Kang, who led Korea with 20 points against Vietnam, was held to five against Japan.
Japan’s outside hitters Yukiko Wada and Yoshino Sato recorded a combined 37 points, with Wada scoring 19 and Sato 18.
Korea held a 3-2 edge in service aces and committed fewer errors than Japan at 13 to 19, but the team was outscored 61-43 in attack points.
Twelve teams are competing in the tournament, divided into three pools of four. The top two teams from each pool and the two best third-place teams advance to the quarterfinals.
The tournament champion will earn a direct berth to the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, and the top three finishers will qualify for the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup.
Korea will face Hong Kong in its final pool-stage match at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
BY CHANG HYE-SOO [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
