▲ South Korean player Kang So-hwi spikes the ball during the women's volleyball Group D match 3 between South Korea and Vietnam at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 18th.
The South Korean women's volleyball national team (ranked 28th globally), fueled by the stellar performance of setter Kim Da-in (Hyundai E&C), defeated formidable Vietnam (ranked 32nd) to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as Group D leaders.
The national team, led by head coach Cha Sang-hyun, won the Group D match against Vietnam with a set score of 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 26-28, 25-18) at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today (the 18th).
Having previously defeated Hong Kong (127th) and Qatar (107th) in straight sets, South Korea secured victories in all three matches to finish with 9 points and top Group D.
Consequently, South Korea will face Kazakhstan (42nd), the runner-up of Group B, in the quarterfinals.
Today's match was of great importance because a loss to Vietnam would have resulted in a second-place finish in the group, setting up a potential quarterfinal clash against Group B winner and tournament favorite China (7th).
The national team captured the first set thanks to setter Kim Da-in's performance.
Locked in a tight contest, South Korea conceded consecutive points from an 18-17 lead, allowing a turnaround.
At 19-20, failing to handle the opponent's serve, they fell behind by two points and faced a crisis.
However, trailing 20-21, Kim Da-in completely turned the momentum around with a stellar individual effort.
Kim unleashed consecutive short serves to record back-to-back service aces, reclaiming the lead.
At 22-21, she delivered a powerful serve to induce a Vietnamese error.
At 23-21, Kim directly dug and saved a powerful opponent smash, which led to a Vietnam attacking error.
Having claimed the first set 25-21, South Korea maintained the momentum into the second set.
They surged to a 6-1 lead early in the set.
However, leading 16-12, South Korea conceded three straight points to allow a one-point gap, and an error at 19-18 eventually resulted in a tie.
Kim Da-in rescued South Korea once again in the crucial stretch of the second set with her razor-sharp serves.
Leading 21-20, the national team scored a crucial point through a block by Lee Da-hyeon (NEC Red Rockets). Afterwards, Kim Da-in rattled the opponent's reception with a targeted float serve, allowing Lee Da-hyeon to finish with an attack.
At 23-20, Kim recorded a service ace to crush Vietnam's hopes of a comeback.
They narrowly dropped the third set.
Trailing 18-20, Kim Da-in fired consecutive strong serves to force successive points and level the score. At 22-24, consecutive points via Lee Da-hyeon's quick-open attack and Park Eun-jin's (Red Sparks) block forced a 24-24 deuce.
However, unable to overcome the final hurdle, they lost the set 26-28.
South Korea closed out the match in the fourth set.
Leading 18-15, they widened the gap through Lee Da-hyeon's quick-open attack and Kang So-hwi's (Korea Expressway Corporation) push shot. At 20-16, they capitalized on a video review that caught an opponent's antenna touch error, extending their lead and sealing the victory.
Kim Da-in racked up 6 service aces, Kang So-hwi led both teams with 27 points, and Lee Da-hyeon contributed 16 points, including 2 blocks.
Meanwhile, the women's volleyball team suffered a shocking defeat to Vietnam in the group stage of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held three years ago, which placed them second in their group and led to a quarterfinal loss against China, missing out on a medals podium. They successfully exacted revenge through this tournament.
The women's volleyball team previously won a silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, a gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Games, and a bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.