(Asiad) Women's volleyball coach sees players' determination to win against Vietnam

KOMAKI, Japan, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's women's volleyball coach Cha Sang-hyun said Friday he trusted his players to overcome their anxiety after losing the third set in the final group match against Vietnam at the Asian Games in central Japan.

South Korea beat Vietnam 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 26-28, 25-18) in Pool D action at Park Arena Komaki, just north of Nagoya, Japan.

With the win, South Korea secured the top position in Pool D and will face Kazakhstan, the runner-up in Pool B, in the quarterfinals scheduled for Sunday, avoiding Pool B winner China, one of the world's volleyball powerhouses.

"I believed in our players, and I could feel their determination to win when I saw their eyes and movements," Cha said during a mixed-zone interview after the match. "They were so focused and concentrated on overcoming their anxiety after the third set and winning the match."

After winning the first two sets, South Korea lost the third set after reaching match point, bringing back memories of its 3-2 loss to Vietnam at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

South Korea lost to China 3-0 in the quarterfinals and saw its Asian Games campaign end there.

Cha said his team had set its goal at this Asian Games as taking revenge against Vietnam for the loss, which caused South Korea to miss the semifinals and left it without a medal in Hangzhou. It was the first time since 2006 that South Korea had missed an Asian Games medal in women's volleyball.

"We needed to defeat Vietnam to get an advantageous position for the quarters, and we all know this," he said. "So some players were nervous at some points, but they were very determined to win."

Cha said it was important to take advantage of the opponent's weak point as the two teams know each other well after meeting twice in 2026.

"This is our third meeting with Vietnam this year," he said. "We prepared detailed set plays for blocking and defense, and our players executed them well."

Now, Cha is looking to take the team to the next level by advancing past the quarterfinals and into the semifinals.

"Now we have to leave the victory over Vietnam behind and move on to Kazakhstan," he said. "Kazakh players are tall and strong, but we will beat them with our organized play."