CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur – South Korea completed a flawless conquest of the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup, sweeping Chinese Taipei 25-19, 25-19, 25-22 in the final on Sunday night at the Candon City Arena to cap an unbeaten championship run.
The triumph also marked a remarkable turnaround for South Korea, which bounced back in emphatic fashion after suffering relegation from the Volleyball Nations League last year, reasserting itself as one of the continent’s premier volleyball powers.
Kang So-Whi, who was named Tournament MVP and Best Outside Hitter, led South Korea’s offensive charge with 14 points on 13 attacks and a block.
Meanwhile, Best Opposite Spiker Na Hyunsoo added 12 points on 10 attacks and two blocks to lead the squad to its first title in the AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup.
“First of all, I wasn’t… The national team, there were very hard moments. But with all the national team members here, I’m really happy that we were able to have this very meaningful and valuable result today,” said Kang.
Jeong Yunju made 11 points, while Best Middle Blocker Park Eunjin and Lee Juah added eight and seven points, respectively, in the South Koreans’ title-clinching win in the continental tilt presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.
South Korea imposed its will in decisive fashion, overwhelming the opposition 46-38 in attacks and ruthlessly punishing 19 errors while keeping their own miscues to just 12. That sharp efficiency stood in stark contrast to their grueling five-set duel in the group stage.
On the other hand, Chinese Taipei — despite the defeat — still recorded its highest finish on the continental stage, settling for a silver medal in the tournament co-presented by the FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City Mayor Eric Singson.
Chang Yi-Chi paced the Taiwanese with 16 points, while Tsai Yu-Chun, who took home one of the Best Outside Hitter honors, registered 14 markers.
Best Middle Blocker Chen Ciao-En had eight points on six blocks and two attacks.
Also part of the AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup Dream Team are Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chi-Jung, who won Best Libero, and Vietnam’s Vo Thi Kim Thoa, who nabbed the Best Setter award.
Meanwhile, Vietnam bounced back from the disappointment of missing the final, dominating Kazakhstan, 25-17, 25-12, 25-19, to rescue a bronze-medal finish and avoid going home empty-handed.
Indonesia, on the other hand, clinched fifth place with a 25-13, 25-19, 26-24 rout of Australia.
