여자배구, 아시아선수권 8강서 타이에 0-3 완패…올림픽 출전 ‘빨간불’

The Korean women's volleyball team (currently ranked 28th globally) suffered a 0-3 defeat against the 'ghost-like' Thai team in the 8th place match of the 2026 Asian Women's Volleyball Championships, held in Tianjin Olympic Center Gymnasium on the 27th (KST). This result means the team has been given a 'red light' for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympic qualifying round. Coach Cha Sam-hyun led the squad to a 3-0 loss to Thailand, with scores of 20-25, 18-25, and 21-25.

South Korea had previously won 2 out of 3 group matches (6 points), securing their place in the 8th round, but this loss signals the end of their Olympic qualification hopes. The tournament was a crucial event as the LA Olympic tickets were on the line, leaving the Korean team without both the ticket to the LA Olympics and the spot for the upcoming FIVB Women's World Cup.

However, if South Korea maintains a world ranking between 32nd and 32nd by the time of the World Cup, they could still qualify for the event. The LA Olympic women's volleyball will feature 12 teams, including the host nation, the USA, and the five continental champions. The remaining six spots will be determined by the teams' performance in the World Cup (three) and their world ranking (three).

Ultimately, South Korea must either improve their world ranking or maintain a 32nd place or better in the World Cup to secure a spot in either the Olympics or the World Cup. This is a challenging situation, as both options are realistically difficult to achieve. During this match, South Korea struggled both offensively and defensively, with a significant 39-51 gap in team attack scoring.

They were outperformed in service reception, giving away 6 points to Thailand's strong service. Meanwhile, South Korea's service attacks were limited to just 1 point. The game began poorly for Korea, as they trailed 14-12 in the first set, only to be outscored 5-0 in a run by Thailand. Despite Jeong So-whee's attacking efforts, Thailand's ace Siapaphon Jantaewas able to block most of her attacks, putting them in control.

In the second set, South Korea again struggled to find attacking opportunities, despite Jeong's impressive individual performance. In the final set, they reached a tense 18-18 tie, but once again failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities, allowing Thailand to secure the win. Kim Na-yeon led the scoring with 12 points, Jeong So-whee added 10, and Yuk Seong-young chipped in with 9 points.