The U-18 women's national volleyball team finished as the runner-up at the 2026 Asian U-18 Women's Volleyball Championship after a defeat against China in the final, marking their first appearance in the championship match in 19 years.

The national team lost 3-0 to China in the final held today (July 7) at Terminal 21 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

In the first set, the team trailed 20-16 but scored five consecutive points to turn the game around to 21-20.

However, they conceded three straight points from a 23-22 lead, narrowly dropping the first set.

The team faced a difficult match in the second set, falling behind significantly from the start.

They managed to close the gap to 20-15, but then allowed four consecutive points and could only score one more before losing the set.

In the third set, they trailed 16-12 and conceded five straight points, ultimately handing the victory to their opponents.

Following the match, Park Seo-yoon received the Best Middle Blocker award, and Jo Ra-bin was named Best Libero at the awards ceremony.

The national team, which competed against 16 teams, advanced to the quarterfinals as the top seed in Group D after defeating India, Vietnam, and Taiwan in the group stage.

They went on to defeat Kazakhstan 3-1 and then overcame Thailand to reach the final.

However, they were unable to overcome the wall of Asia's powerhouse, China, and had to settle for second place.

Although they narrowly missed out on the championship trophy, South Korea achieved a significant result by securing a ticket to the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Girls' U-19 World Championship, which is awarded to the top four teams in this tournament.

(Photo: Captured from the Asian Volleyball Confederation website, Yonhap News)