2011.5.27 Weekend Picks: FIVB World League Volleyball

* Korea vs. Cuba
* Suwon Gymnasium, Suwon, Gyeonggi
* Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m.

The Korean men’s national volleyball team begins its run against the top teams in the world when the FIVB World League Volleyball competition gets underway this weekend.

Korea, ranked 23rd in the world, will face No. 4 Cuba, No. 6 Italy and No. 12 France in the 40-day Group D qualification round. Matches will be played at home and away, with Korea traveling to Europe June 19.

This weekend, Korea will host Cuba, which has a dominant record over Korea (44-3).

In recent weeks, Korea has lost many key players to injury, but young players such as Park Jun-bum, last season’s V-League rookie of year, will fill the void.

The two top teams from Group D will advance to the finals to face the top two teams from the other three groups. The finals will be held in Gdansk-Sopot, Poland, from July 6-10.