According to the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) rankings as of the 20th Korean time, Korean women's volleyball has risen six notches from 43rd to 37th.

On the same day, the Korean women's volleyball team beat Thailand 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 25-18) in the final game of the first week of the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL). 

It is the first time since the 2022 tournament that Korean women's volleyball has won the VNL.

South Korea's women's volleyball team, which had suffered 30 consecutive losses in the VNL until just before, showed its lead in the game against Thailand, where Ponpoon Gedfarde and Achara von Congyot were absent. Ponpoon, who also played in the IBK Industrial Bank of Korea in the V-League, was listed on the entry list on the day, but failed to play a single set.

Thailand was shaken up as it even lost its pawn while Acharaphon was out of attack due to Acharaphon's absence from injury. Nachanita Jaisan, who applied for a tryout in the Asian quarter of Korea but was not selected in the end, ran the game, and it did not have much effect. Wipawi Sitong of Hyundai Engineering & Construction scored 15 points and Cha Chuon scored 17 points, but failed to block Kang So-hwi's 22 points and Jeong Ji-yoon and Park Jung-ah's 16 points firepower. Both Pimpichaya and Tanacha were sluggish with only two points. 

Until now, Thailand has been suffering from four consecutive losses, including the match against the United States, Serbia, and Canada, and the match against Korea. 

Thailand's sluggishness has been particularly noticeable, but it is still too early to let go of Korea, which will meet its rivals one after another in the second week. 

The Korean women's volleyball team started the 2022 VNL at the 14th place in the world rankings after a generational shift.  

However, after losing consecutive games, his ranking fell to 19th place at the time, and since then, he has fallen out of the semifinals for the fourth consecutive time at the 2022 World Championship and the Asian Championship for the first time in history, finishing sixth.

There was no rebound in 2023. Similarly, the team suffered from all losses in VNL and suffered a come-from-behind defeat to Vietnam at the Hangzhou Asian Games, which ended in a long dark period. Its ranking had plummeted nearly 26 notches over the past two years. 

In 2024, Korea celebrated its first international competition this year, ranking 40th in the world.

Former coach Cesar Hernandez González was replaced and with newly appointed coach Fernando Morales.

Up until the start of the international competition, expectations were not very high. The team also set the goal as one win. Due to consecutive losses against China, Brazil, and Dominica, the team started off poorly. The team's ranking dropped to 43rd place little by little.

However, Korea didn't give up and finally reached a goal by beating Thailand, which was already exhausted. It was Morales' first win in the Korean national team and his VNL victory in 31 matches. The ranking rebounded to rise to 37th. 

After tasting the joy of their first win, Korea will move to the U.S. from the second week to face Bulgaria on May 30 (1:00 a.m.) and Poland on May 31 (2:30 a.m.), Turkiye on June 2 (3:00 a.m.) and Canada on the 3rd (1:30 a.m.). 

After that, the VNL schedule will be concluded with matches against Japan, the first host country in Japan from June 12 (7:20 p.m.), France on the 13th (3:30 p.m.), Italy on the 14th (7:30 p.m.), and the Netherlands on the 16th (11:30 a.m.).

BY: 토토사이트