Kang So-hwi, who is about to enter VNL, said, "I will fight with determination so that I don't get demoted."
Kang So-hwi, who is about to enter VNL, said, "I will fight with determination so that I don't get demoted."
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With the Korean women's volleyball team set to play its first match against Germany in the 2025 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL), national team captain Kang So-hwi (Korea Expressway Corporation) expressed his willingness to stay in VNL.
Kang So-hwi attended the press conference for the first week of VNL held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the 4th (Korean time).
When asked about his resolution in the first year of introducing the relegation system, Kang So-hwi said, "VNL is a valuable opportunity for the Korean team," adding, "I will fight with determination so that I will never be demoted."
Regarding the VNL preparation period, he replied, "It's been less than a month, but I've trained hard, so I can look forward to the teamwork."
Regarding the last expected game and competition team, Kang So-hwi said, "I'm excited and looking forward to every game," adding, "I think all the teams (who played) are rivals."
The press conference was attended by middle blocker Camela Weitzel, the mainstay of the German national team, one player from Italy, the Czech Republic and the United States, who will face off in the first week, and coaches and players from the host Brazil national team.
South Korea's national team, led by head coach Fernando Morales, will play against Germany on the 5th, followed by Italy, the Czech Republic and the United States in the first week of the VNL.
The lowest of the 18 participating countries will not be able to play in the VNL stage next year, so they must win "more than two wins" to avoid relegation.
South Korea, which lost all 12 games in the VNL in 2022 and 2023, beat Thailand in the VNL last year to end its 30-game losing streak, and beat France to earn two wins, avoiding the bottom at 15th place among 16 countries.
The four teams that will face off in the first week of the VNL are world-class strong teams.
Italy is the highest in the FIVB world ranking, and South Korea is the lowest at 35th, following the third place in the United States, 12th place in Germany, and 15th place in the Czech Republic.
Germany, the first opponent in the first week, is led by coach Julio Bregoli, head coach of Turkiye's prestigious club Exzacivasi, and is led by middle blocker Weitzel, outside heater Lina Alsmeyer and Rivero Anna Pogany.
Italy is the world's strongest team that won the Paris Olympics last year, and the United States is also a strong team that competed against Italy in the Olympic finals. 바카라사이트
At least, the Czech Republic is the team that Morales said he would seek victory in the first week of the game.
The Czech Republic will advance to the VNL for the first time by winning the European Challenge Cup and compete with strong teams.