The South Korea U18 Women’s National Volleyball Team, led by head coach Kim Eui-sung, finished the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) 2024 Asian U18 Championship in fifth place.

Korea defeated Iran 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-17) in straight sets in the fifth-to-sixth place match at the tournament in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, on Wednesday. The team will play Thailand at 5 p.m. for the third-to-fourth place match and Japan at 7:30 p.m. for the first place match.

Korea started with setters Choi Yoon-young (Ilshin Women’s College) and Apojit Park Yoon-seo (Jungang Women’s College), outside hitters Park Yeo-reum (Jungang Women’s College) and Kim Ji-yoon (Jecheon Women’s College), middle blockers Jung Ah-rim (Mokpo Women’s College) and Ha Ye-ji (Sunmyeong Women’s College), and libero 안전 토토사이트 Yang Da-young (Mokpo Women’s College).

The first set was tightly contested. South Korea tried to open up a gap in the center with a high blocking wall, but Iran took advantage of it by converting touchouts. Iran took a 6-4 lead. South Korea didn’t back down. They scored two straight tries from Hayezi to pull back to 7-6. From then on, it was a case of Korea leading and Iran chasing. The Iranians quickly cut the gap to 13-9, but Korea responded with a quick 13-14 run. Korea fought back. At 16-14, Yoo Da-eun, who was brought in as a one-point server, made her presence felt with a service ace as soon as she entered the court. The momentum shifted completely in Korea’s favor. With the momentum in their favor, South Korea continued to pressure Iran from three to four points away. An Iranian service error gave Korea the first set.

The second set was even more intense. South Korea’s flank attack came alive as Park Yeom came to life. At the same time, Iran’s wing attackers also rolled up their sleeves, creating a back-and-forth battle. Early in the set, Park’s open attack gave South Korea a 6-5 lead. But it was precarious. The score remained 1-2 with no clear advantage. Iran took advantage of the opportunity and fought back. A service ace tied the score at 14-14, and then an open left attack made it 16-15. They then extended the gap to 19-16. However, South Korea quickly leveled the match. Park’s open attack made it 17-19, Hayeji’s block made it 18-19, and an Iranian attack error made it 19-19. Kim Ji-yoon stepped up to the plate. She roared to make it 22-20, 23-21, and 25-22.

In the third set, Korea stepped up their game. From 3-3, they held Iran to three points and went on a 9-3 run. Points poured in here and there. Park racked up points with Kim Ji-yoon on the side and Jung Ah-rim and Ha Ye-ji in the center. At 13-9, Park made a perfect one-on-one block. With the win in hand, Korea relaxed and took control of the game. At 15-10, Jeong made it a six-point game once again with a fastball. Iran came back strong. At 12-18, they scored two straight points to rekindle the chase. But that was it. Park Yeo-seom showed her focus in the second half and scored two points to make it 22-17. Jung ended the match with a kill.