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Korea suffers third 3-0 VNL loss in match against United States

Published: 09 Jun. 2025, 12:14 Updated: 09 Jun. 2025, 18:57

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Korea's Lee Seon-woo, left, spikes the ball during a Volleyball Nations League match against the United States at Maracanazinho stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 8. [AP/YONHAP]

The Korean women’s volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to world No. 7 United States at the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, picking up their fourth straight loss at this year’s competition.

The gap between the two sides was clear from the beginning, with Korea losing the first set 25-13.

Korea tied the score momentarily at 24-24 in the second set, but the United States broke the deadlock to take the set 28-26, before making the third set a one-sided affair at 25-17.

The Korean squad’s offense struggled again, with no player on the squad cracking double-digit points.

Captain Kang So-hwi was the team’s top scorer at just eight points, while American middle blocker Amber Igiede scored the most across both sides at 16.

Korea failed to see any player scoring double-digit points in a single VNL match this season other than the 3-2 loss against Thailand on Saturday, during which outside hitters Kang and Lee Sun-woo and middle blocker Lee Da-hyeon all racked up double-digit points.

The national squad, led by Fernando Morales, has yet to win a match in this year’s VNL, where the team recorded three 3-0 losses against the United States, Germany and Italy and one 3-2 loss to Thailand as of Monday.

Morales’ squad hit the bottom of the 18-team preliminary stage table after Sunday’s loss, which puts them in danger of facing relegation — adopted in this year’s VNL.

The last-place team at the end of the preliminary stage, which ends in July, loses their eligibility to compete in next year’s VNL. The top eight teams, on the other hand, join the knockout stage.

Korea will have a one-week break until the second week of VNL action unfolds in Istanbul, Turkey.

The national squad faces Canada next on June 18.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]