The South Korean women’s national team has a new starting line-up for the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023. Can they find their first win?
South Korea fell 0-3 (16-25, 25-27, 11-25) in three sets to the United States in the third match of Week 1 of the 2023 FIVB VNL at 11:00 p.m. (KST) in Antalya, Turkey. It was the third shutout loss in a row, following earlier wins in Turkiye and Canada.
The USA dominated in the blocking department. They out-blocked Korea 15-3. They were also stronger on serve. The USA had five service points while Korea had none. The USA also led in error control.
Looking for their first win, South Korea went with a new line-up to turn things around. Setter Yeom Hye-sun (KGC Ginseng Corporation), outside hitters Park Jung-ah (Pepper Savings Bank) and Kang So-hui (GS Caltex), middle blockers Jung Ho-young (KGC Ginseng Corporation) and Lee Ju-ah (Heungkuk Life Insurance), outside hitter Jung Apojit (Hyundai E&C), and libero Shin Yeon-kyung (IBK) took the court in the first match against Turkiye. Against Canada, Lee Da-hyun (Hyundai E&C) started in the same line-up as the previous match, replacing middle blocker Jung Ho-young.
For the third match, against the United States, the team made a major change. Setter Kim Da-in (Hyundai E&C), outside hitters Kim Mi-yeon (Heungkuk Life Insurance) and Pyo Seung-joo (IBK), middle blockers Jung Ho-young and Park Eun-jin, outside hitter Moon Ji-yoon (GS Caltex), and libero Moon Jung-won (Korea Expressway Corporation) started.
Against the USA, Korea’s attacking game was hampered on several occasions by the opposition’s high blocking, but it was also effective. The team’s attacking points were similar to the USA’s, 36-37. It was also the highest individual score of the three matches. In the previous game on the 1st in Turkuye, Jeong Ji-yoon scored 10 points. Pyo Seung-ju followed with 11 points. 메이저놀이터
Kim Dain, who played as the starting setter, also stood out. She was bold from the first set. They used their centre attackers to their advantage. Jung Ho-young’s fast attack and Park Eun-jin’s mobile attack. In addition, Moon Ji-yoon’s attack from the back was a big hit, and Pyo Seung-joo scored a goal from the centre back. It was not a perfect coordination, but the players managed to finish the attack.
Following the setter was libero Moon Jung-won. Moon made her first appearance in the VNL as a libero, and also took the court for the first time as a starter. Her receiving skills have already been proven. In the V-League, he was second in the league with a 43.84 per cent receiving efficiency.
In this match, Moon had a 54.55 per cent receiving efficiency and seven digs to back him up.
However, her presence at the outside hitter position was weak. The only two players on the Korean national team who are registered as outside hitters are Jung Ji-yoon and Moon Ji-yoon. Both players were born in 2001 and 2000 respectively, making them part of the younger generation. Kim Da-eun is also on the roster, but was left off the Week 1 roster. Moon Ji-yoon, who played the first of the two apogee positions, scored six points solely on offence. It’s encouraging to see that she continues to try to attack from behind.
As a substitute, Jeong Ji-yoon went scoreless with no points. It was not a successful substitution.
Cesar Hoda continues to make several changes. He started Kim Dae-jin, increasing the amount of attacking from the middle blocker and pairing her with attackers who can play fast. The team’s play came alive, but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory. The height limitation was also a problem, and Korea is still searching for the right combination.
Meanwhile, the USA extended their winning streak to three games with a sweep of South Korea in the match. The scoring came from both wings, with Danielle Coutino scoring 18 points with five blocks and two aces, and Avery Skinner adding 14 points with one block and one ace.