Korea falls from 14th to 35th with one win in 29 games

Volleyball

Published: 04 Jul. 2023, 14:40 Updated: 04 Jul. 2023, 17:22

Korea falls from 14th to 35th with one win in 29 games

The Korean women's volleyball team reacts after losing a Volleyball Nations League game 3-0 to Poland at West Suwon Chilbo Gymnasium in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Sunday. [NEWS1]

The Korean women’s volleyball team has plummeted from 14th to 35th on the FIVB world ranking in the space of two years after winning just one of 29 games since the end of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Korea sat in 14th place going into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, when the team led by talismanic former captain Kim Yeon-koung reached the semifinals, but have been on a rapid decline since then.

After Kim and ace Yang Hyo-jin retired from national duty, the team lost all 12 games in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) last year, all 12 games in the VNL this year and have managed just one win — 3-1 against Croatia at the Volleyball Women’s World Championship in October 2022.

This year's VNL outing was possibly even worse than last year. Korea not only lost 3-0 to Croatia, but also only won three sets in the entire tournament; in 3-1 losses to Germany, Bulgaria and China.

China and Japan, on the other hand, now sit in sixth and eighth place on the rankings respectively after managing to reach the VNL quarterfinals.

China secured eight wins, while Japan have managed seven wins in the competition as of press time Tuesday.

The ranking difference between the other Asian countries is concerning for Korea, who are looking to reach the 2024 Paris Olympics, as the FIVB ranking will determine the countries that compete at the Olympics.

Among the 12 countries that will participate in the Games, five will land in the competition based on the FIVB ranking by June 2024, prioritizing continents that do not have qualified teams in the competition.

Six other countries will reach the tournament through qualifiers, along with France, who will automatically join as host nation.

Korea can also reach the Olympics after going through the qualifiers, but that road will be tough, considering they have to beat teams like No. 1 United States and No. 2 Italy.

Head coach Cesar Hernandez, who took the helm in October 2021, does not have much time left to make improvements.

The national team will take a break until the Korea Volleyball Federation Cup ends — running from July 29 to Aug. 5 — but will then be straight back to work preparing for the Olympic qualifiers running from Sept. 16 through 24 in Poland.

Korea will then be back in action for the Hangzhou Asian Games, set to start in China at the end of September.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]