‘Kim’s Sung-ho’ U18 women’s volleyball qualifies for Asian Championships…“I have to do it, I will do it”
Led by veteran coach Kim Eui-sung, the Korea U18 Women’s National Volleyball Team (U18) will depart on June 16-23 in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, to compete at the 2024 Asian Youth Women’s U18 Volleyball Championship. A top-four finish will earn the team a ticket to the World Youth Women’s Championship the following year.
Kim was the head coach of KT&G Ariels from 2006 to 2007. He then served as the head coach of Jungang Girls’ High School and has been the head coach of Geonyoung Girls’ High School since 2020. His U18 team is led by captain Park Yeo-seom (outside hitter – Jungang Girls’ High School), with outside hitters Kim Ji-yoon (Jecheon Girls’ High School), Park Yoon-seo (Jungang Girls’ High School) and Jung Ga-young (Ilshin Girls’ High School), outside hitters Park Seo-yoon (Jungang Girls’ Middle School) and Yoo Da-eun (Geunyoung Girls’ High School), liberos Yang Da-young (Mokpo Girls’ High School) and Jung Sol-min (Geunyoung Girls’ High School), middle blockers Jung A-rim (Mokpo Girls’ High School) and Ha Ye-ji (Sunmyeong Girls’ High School), and setters Ban Ye-bin (Geunyoung Girls’ High School) and 메이저 토토사이트 Choi Yoon-young (Ilshin Girls’ High School).
Speaking to reporters, Kim said, “Our goal is to finish in the top four, which will give us a ticket to the World Youth Women’s Championship,” adding, “We are confident. We have been sweating for a long time for this moment, and overall we have been doing well so far without any injuries. We have to do it, and we will do it.”
He added: “I think we have enough quality. The key is acclimatization. They’re young, so they might not be used to the culture and things like that. We will keep that in mind and work harder to manage the players’ physical condition.”
Kim added, “We focused on the use of the center, which is a trend in modern volleyball. We prepared both fastball and blocking. The center must be supported so that defense and offense can flow smoothly. We also plan to have Park Seo-yoon, who is watching Apojit, actively participate in blocking defense depending on the situation.”
According to Kim, the U18 team boasts a strong center line. Jung Ah-rim is over 190 centimeters tall and has good deception moves. Hayeji has a lot of bounce and the ability to win blocks with accurate hits. And then there’s Apojit Park Seo-yoon, who stands at 5-foot-9 and is the ‘third wall’. Despite being a junior high school student, he”s taller than most European players. She is also agile.
Captain Park Yeo-seom should also be on the radar. “We expect her to play an ace role on the left wing,” says Kim. She is a player with solid skills, whether it’s receiving or attacking,” Kim said.
The tournament will feature 13 participating nations, divided into four groups, A-B-C-D. The U18s, who are in Group D, will face Australia on Saturday, Chinese Taipei on Sunday, and India on Monday. The team must finish in the top two in their group to advance to the quarterfinals. “Topping the group is the primary goal,” said Kim. If we finish second, we will be drawn to play a quarterfinal match against one of the Group A, Group B, or Group C winners. Powerhouses Thailand, Japan, and China are in Group A, B, and C, respectively. “Our players are just as good, but it’s always better to have fewer variables,” said U.S. coach Johnny Henderson.
In the last edition of the tournament two years ago, the U18s finished third under Jang Yoon-hee and booked their ticket to the World Youth Women’s Championship. This year, the U18s will take another step toward the world under Kim Eui-sung.