The women’s national volleyball team is competing in the Olympic qualifiers after a string of poor international performances. Even before the tournament, there are concerns.
The women’s volleyball team will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Łódź, Poland, from Sept. 19-24. South Korea, ranked 36th in the world, will face Italy (5th) on Sunday, Poland (7th) on Monday, Germany (12th) on Tuesday, USA (2nd) on Wednesday, Colombia (20th) on Thursday, Thailand (14th) on Friday, and Slovenia (25th) on Saturday. It’s a tough schedule for South Korea, which hasn’t been competitive in Asian competitions lately.
There is another reason to be concerned about the women’s team. It’s the composition of the squad. Coach Cesar Hernandez has four middle blockers in his roster, including Park Eun-jin, Lee Da-hyun, Lee Ju-ah, and Jung Ho-young. On the other hand, there is only one apogee spiker, Lee Sun-woo. Outside hitters included Kang So-hwi, Kwon Min-ji, Park Jung-ah, Lee Han-bi, and Pyo Seung-ju.
Only two middle blockers actually play in matches, so four is too many, according to volleyball officials. Of course, at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, four middle blockers made the roster. But back then, there was one outside hitter, Kim Yeon-kyung, who was a sure thing. There’s no reason to replace her unless it’s for injury or fitness reasons. I chose four middle blockers because I had a reliable side hitter and I wanted to utilize my middle blockers extensively.
It’s different now. If you ask me if there’s a player in the national team who can reliably lead the side attack, I don’t have a clear answer. Kang So-hwi did his job on the Asian stage, but it’s a different story at the World Championships, where there’s a height difference. The general consensus is that if you don’t have an unquestionably reliable flanker, it’s better to take as many as you can and mix things up. Depending on the situation, different offensive lines may be the key to finding a breakthrough.
As one volleyball official put it, “The center of volleyball is the side. If the side doesn’t work, the center will struggle. That’s not why we try to attack the center so much. Bringing in four players could be a waste of resources in a short tournament where every single one of them is valuable.”바카라사이트
Since his arrival, Cesar has been well-received internally for his detailed tactical and analytical skills, but has been criticized for his game management and substitutions. The prospects for the Olympic qualifiers do not look promising, starting with the basic roster.