Korea, ranked 43rd in the world, led by Fernando Morales, won the set score 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 25-18) in the final game of the first week against Thailand, ranked 13th in the world of the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Federation (VNL), at Maracaranginho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the 20th (Korea time).

South Korea, which won its first victory after three consecutive losses in this tournament, finally escaped from the swamp of 30 consecutive losses in VNL. It was the VNL victory in 1070 days (2 years, 11 months, and 10 days) after winning the last match against Canada in the third week of the tournament on June 15, 2021. It was time for head coach Stefano Lavarini, who led the team to the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, to lead the team, and Kim Yeon-koung and Yang Hyo-jin to stay strong.

Starting with three consecutive wins in 2021, the Korean women’s volleyball team has fallen into a deep quagmire. It started to replace generations under Cesar Hernandez, but the team fell short. It humiliatingly lost 27 consecutive games in 2022-2023 due to all 12 games without winning a single point for two consecutive years. Cesar stepped down and added three consecutive losses under Morales, who took office in March, but finally won on the day.

It was also a meaningful victory in that it was Morales’ first win in charge.

Korea, which had a 25-19 lead with Jung Ji-yoon scoring five points, including one blocking, from the first set, lost the second set 23-25 after a close game, but overwhelmed the third set 25-16. Jung Ji-yoon, Kang So-hwi, and Lee Ju-ah, who recorded one blocking and one serve ace, scored five points apiece.

In the last four sets, Kang So-hwi scored seven points, including one serve ace, to end the game. Kang So-hwi exploded the most 22 points in both teams, and Jung Ji-yoon and Park Jung-ah each scored 16 points to support the victory. Lee Ju-ah showed high performance with 11 points, including five blocks. Lee Da-hyun also contributed with eight points in two blocks.

South Korea had a 12-8 advantage in the blocking fight, and mistakes were managed well. While South Korea committed 13 mistakes on the day, Thailand nearly doubled the number with 25.

BY: 안전놀이터