Korea sweeps Philippines in men's volleyball opener

Korea shut down the Philippines to open the men's volleyball tournament at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Sunday.

Coached by Issanaye Ramires, Korea won its first Pool D match by 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-22) at Park Arena Komaki in Komaki, Japan.

Outside hitter Lim Sung-jin led the way with 13 points, while Jeong Han-young and Im Dong-hyeok added 11 points apiece.

Jeong and Im combined for eight points in the opening set, as Korea pulled away after building an 11-9 lead.

Korea had a little tougher time in the second set, unable to close out the Philippines with a 22-21 lead. Down 25-24, though, Korea got two quick points on the opponent's errors.

In the third set, Korea turned a 15-14 deficit into a 17-15 lead. Then from 21-20, Korea scored on an opposition error and a serve ace by Lee Sang-hyeon en route to a straight-set victory.

Korea will next play Chinese Taipei on Monday and China on Tuesday.

The top two nations from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals Thursday.

Korea won 14 straight men's volleyball medals from 1966 to 2018, but the streak ended at the 2023 Asiad in Hangzhou, China, where the team finished in seventh place.

Yonhap