"She has both idol-level beauty and real skill!" Taiwanese 'Ugly Girl' volleyball player shakes up Japan [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

On the stage of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Liao Yi-lun (29), captain of the Taiwanese women's Bae Gu (CEO) team, captivated Japanese fans with her sharp court control reminiscent of an idol and her striking visuals.

The Taiwanese women's Bae Gu (CEO) team faced host nation Japan in the women's volleyball quarterfinals held on the 20th at Komaki City Sports Park Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. After being overwhelmed early in the match by Japan's powerful serves and relentless attacks, Taiwan mounted a comeback in the middle stages with their characteristic tenacious defense and counterattacks. However, unable to overcome the gap in overall strength, they lost 0-3 in sets and narrowly missed advancing to the semifinals.

Although the match ended with Taiwan's defeat, Liao Yi-lun, wearing jersey number 12, stood out prominently on the court. Despite her relatively short stature of 165cm for a volleyball player, Liao Yi-lun drove her teammates' scoring through agile movements and creative ball distribution. According to Taiwanese media SETN, Japanese broadcasters and sports outlets alike focused on her stable setting ability that read the flow of the game well.

Just as impressive as her performance on the court was her appearance both inside and outside the arena. Liao Yi-lun is already no stranger to Japanese volleyball fans. She previously joined the Japanese women's volleyball team 'Cano Laureates Fukuoka' for the 2024-2025 season, playing as a starting setter and building a solid local fanbase with her excellent fan service and bright smile. Although she later returned to Taipei Jinghua, a club in Taiwan's domestic league, the affection of Japanese fans remained unchanged.

Indeed, following their head-to-head match at the Asian Championships held last August, reactions from Japanese fans poured onto major SNS platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and online communities immediately after this Asian Games match. Local netizens continued to praise her with comments such as "The Taiwanese setter wearing number 12 is still cute," "She is an idol in person on the volleyball court," and "I've been supporting her since her Fukuoka days, so it's great to see her play in Japan again after so long."

Liao Yi-lun, Taiwan's 'volleyball fairy' who possesses both skill and star power, has captured the attention of Asian volleyball fans regardless of this tournament's results, emerging as another hot topic figure at the Asian Games.

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*This content was translated by AI.