30 consecutive losses in VNL, which was cut in about 3 years… the end of the all-out attack Morales hoped for

Team Morales beat Thailand (14th in the world ranking) with a set score of 3-1 (25-19 23-25 25-16 25-17) at the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL) held at Maracaranginho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the 20th (Korea time).

It was the first victory in two years and 11 months since the team won the VNL match against Canada on June 15, 2021. Back then, Kim Yeon-koung, Kim Su-ji (Hangkuk Life Insurance), and Yang Hyo-jin (Hyundai Engineering & Construction) were at the center. After their retirement, the national team went downhill with all losses in the VNL in 2022 and 2023, but they smiled broadly as they tasted victory for the first time in a long time.

It was Morales’ first win, who took the helm in March. “Players’ basic skills are outstanding regardless of position,” Morales said, expressing his first impression of Korea. At the same time, individuals can play the game they want to play. If a team member fills the gap in star players and joins the team, he will be able to play well.”

Four strikers scored double-digit scores. “I am training to evenly distribute scores. The team should include middle blockers, wing attacks, and even a pipe,” the performance that Hyundai wanted was revealed.

He reduced the number of mistakes and regained stability in offense and defense. Ace Kang So-hwi led the offense by scoring the most 22 points between the two teams. Park Jung-ah and Jung Ji-yoon also scored 16 points each. Middle blockers Lee Ju-ah and Lee Da-hyun maintained the center position with 11 and 8 points, respectively. In particular, Lee Ju-ah performed very well by hitting five blocks.

Moreover, it is meaningful that Korea has secured Thailand, which has strengthened its competitiveness unlike Korea, which was lagging behind in world volleyball. Korea recently suffered shutout losses to Thailand for five consecutive years in the VNL, Olympic qualifiers, and Asian Championships.

FIVB also paid attention to Korea’s 30th consecutive loss. “Korea beat its rival Thailand and won for the first time in three years after a long wait,” FIVB said. In an interview after the match, Lee Da-hyun said, “It took three years. We had a hard time due to changes that the national team is going through, and it is an honor to win against a strong Thailand. Thailand desperately wanted to win because it is a team similar to ours. With this victory, we gained more confidence. I hope we can forget about the past two years and do better.”토토사이트 추천

With this victory, Korea added 13.69 points to rise to 37th (104.59) in the FIVB rankings, up six notches. In contrast, Thailand dropped one notch to 14th at 199.90, down 13.69 points.

After finishing its first week of play, the Korean team will move to Arlington, Texas, the U.S., and start its second week of play on June 30. The team will play its first opponent in the second week, Bulgaria (on June 30), and then Poland (on June 31), Turkiye (on June 2), and Canada (on June 3).