Korea drop first four matches at Volleyball Nations League

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Korea drop first four matches at Volleyball Nations League

Published: 07 Jun. 2022, 16:55 Updated: 16 Jun. 2022, 17:12

Kim Hee-jin, right, attacks during a Volleyball Nations League match between Korea and Japan held on June 2 in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana. [FIVB]

The Korean women's volleyball team lost their first four matches in three straight sets at the 2022 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana.

Korea opened the tournament with a tough game against Japan on June 2, losing all three sets — 25-17, 25-16 and 25-15.

On June 3, Korea put up a better fight in the first set against Germany, losing 25-22, but dropped the next two 25-15 and 25-16.

Then on Saturday, Korea once again was defeated in three straight sets by Poland. Korea gave up the first set 25-9 then put up a formidable fight in the second set that ended 25-23, but dropped the last set 25-11.

On Sunday, Canada beat Korea 25-21, 25-13 and 25-16.

Korea's libero Noh Ran, center, sets the ball during a Volleyball Nations League match between Korea and Japan held on June 2 in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana. [FIVB]

This year’s Volleyball Nations League was always going to be a harder outing for Korea than last season with the absence of veterans Kim Yeon-koung, Kim Su-ji and Yang Hyo-jin from the squad.

A revamped Korean national volleyball team jetted off on May 31 to start their 2022 Volleyball Nations League season with a very different squad as the three veterans all retired from the national team last year after competing at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games.

Not only was there a change to the roster, Korea headed to Louisiana with a new man at the helm. Korea plays the new season under new head coach Cesar Hernandez Gonzalez, who was appointed head coach in October last year for a three-year term from 2022 to 2024. He was an assistant coach under former head coach Stefano Lavarini from 2019 to 2021.

The Volleyball Nations League is Gonzalez's debut with the team.

Korea best VNL result was a 12th-place finish at the inaugural 2018 tournament. In 2019 and last year, they finished second-to-last.

While last year’s VNL was played in a bubble with all matches held in Rimini, Italy, the 2022 VNL returned to its original format where 16 countries compete in a round robin across six cities around the world.

Korea will now jet off to Brasilia, Brazil to face the Dominican Republic on June 16, Serbia on June 17, the Netherlands on June 19 and Turkey on June 20.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [[email protected]]