South Korea Cruises Past Qatar 3-0 to Take Group Lead at Asian Games [AG Highlight Clip]

The South Korean women's national volleyball team (ranked 28th in the world), led by head coach Cha Sang-hyun, defeated Qatar (ranked 106th) to move to the top of Group D in the preliminary round of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

South Korea secured a dominant 3-0 (25-6, 25-6, 25-10) victory over Qatar in their second Group D preliminary match held today (September 17) at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Having swept Hong Kong (ranked 127th) 3-0 the previous day, South Korea recorded its second consecutive win and 6 points, overtaking Vietnam (ranked 32nd, 1 win, 3 points), which has played only one match, to claim the top spot in the group for now.

South Korea rested starting middle blocker Lee Da-hyeon (NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki) by starting Jung Ho-young (KGC Ginseng Corporation) instead, and managed the stamina of key players by substituting Yuk Seo-young (IBK Altos) for team captain Kang So-hwi (Korea Expressway Corporation) in the second set.

Pulling ahead from the early stages of the first set, South Korea seized an early victory when they scored 10 consecutive points starting from an 11-4 lead, propelled by Park Eun-jin's (KGC Ginseng Corporation) attack and four service aces.

At 22-6, South Korea easily claimed the first set at 25-6 following an attack by Na Hyun-soo (Hyundai Engineering & Construction), a direct attack by Jung Ho-young, and a center-line violation by Qatar.

In the second set, leading 6-2, Jung Ho-young grabbed the early momentum by landing three consecutive service aces targeting the back corners of the opponent's court.

South Korea then scored 9 unanswered points from a 16-6 lead to take the second set 25-6.

The final third set also saw the team widen the gap to more than 10 points by scoring 11 points from a 6-3 lead.

At 22-8, South Korea reached match point with a block and a direct hit by Park Eun-jin, and Park Eun-seo wrapped up the victory at 24-10.

Jung Ho-young led the team to victory by scoring a match-high 15 points.

Park Eun-jin contributed 14 points, and Park Eun-seo added 10 points.

If Vietnam defeats Hong Kong in their match scheduled for 4:00 PM today, South Korea's advancement to the quarterfinals will be confirmed.

This is because both South Korea and Vietnam have secured at least two wins, meaning Hong Kong and Qatar can achieve at most one win even if they triumph in their remaining matches, making it impossible for them to overtake the top two.

South Korea will play its final preliminary match against Vietnam at 4:00 PM on September 18.

If Vietnam defeats Hong Kong, the match between South Korea and Vietnam will serve as the battle for first place in Group D.

Finishing second in the group would likely result in facing China (ranked 7th), a top contender for first place in Group B, in the quarterfinals.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.