'Kang So-hui MVP' Women's Volleyball AVC Cup: Overwhelming Victory, Sweeping Taiwan 3-0 After Beating Vietnam

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The South Korean women's Yeo Ja-bae-gu (CEO) team defeated Taiwan and claimed the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup title.

Led by head coach Cha Sang-hyun, South Korea (ranked 31st in the world) defeated Taiwan (34th) 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-22) in the final held on the 14th (Korean time) in Candon City, Philippines.

Earlier, South Korea, which advanced from Group A with five straight wins as the top seed, secured an overwhelming championship by sweeping Vietnam (29th) in the semifinals and then achieving a 'shutout victory' against Taiwan in the final.

However, Japan (4th), China (6th), and Thailand (23rd) did not participate in this tournament due to their involvement in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL). South Korea participated in this AVC Cup after failing to retain its spot in the VNL.

Having defeated Vietnam the previous day, South Korea faced Taiwan again in the final, having narrowly won 3-2 against them in the final group stage match. Taiwan had defeated Kazakhstan 3-0 the day before to reach the final.

Although South Korea was initially trailing Taiwan in the early stages of the first set, they successfully turned the tide with balanced performances from players such as Kang So-hui (Korea Expressway Corporation) and Na Hyun-soo (Hyundai E&C), quickly widening the gap and seizing the initiative.

In the second set, South Korea took an early 10-5 lead, setting the tone. They maintained their lead with contributions from Jeong Yun-ju (Heungkuk Life) and Park Eun-jin (Jung Kwan Jang), leaving just one set to go for the championship.

Desperate, Taiwan launched a counterattack in the third set, tying the score at 19-19 late in the set. However, South Korea seized control by widening the gap with decisive blocks from Kang So-hui.

Following a quick open by Lee Ye-rim (Hyundai E&C), Jeong Yun-ju delivered a game-ending block, concluding the tournament journey with a 'championship'.

On this day, Kang So-hui scored 14 points, Na Hyun-soo 12 points, and Jeong Yun-ju 11 points. Park Eun-jin added 8 points, and Lee Ju-a (IBK Industrial Bank of Korea) contributed 7 points.

Kang So-hui was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and also selected as the tournament's Best Outside Hitter. Park Eun-jin was named Best Middle Blocker, and Na Hyun-soo was named Best Opposite.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original