South Korea Dominates Kyrgyzstan in Convincing AVC Women’s Cup Debut

South Korea opened its 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, dismantling Kyrgyzstan, 25-7, 25-5, 25-7, on Saturday night at the Candon City Arena.

Seeking a fresh start after enduring a difficult 1-11 campaign in last year’s Volleyball Nations League that resulted in relegation, the Koreans showcased their renewed form with a dominant performance from start to finish. The victory placed them alongside host nation Alas Pilipinas atop the early Pool A standings with identical 1-0 records.

Yeoreum Park led South Korea’s offensive charge with 12 points, evenly split between six attacks and six service aces. Yelim Lee added 10 points and sparked the third-set surge with six successful attacks.

Kyrgyzstan struggled to gain traction throughout the one-sided contest, with Raiana Baiamanova accounting for five points in the losing effort.

In Pool B, defending champion Vietnam began its title-retention bid with a commanding straight-set victory over Lebanon, 25-3, 25-15, 25-14, despite playing without star spiker Tran Thi Thanh Thuy.

Vietnam’s offense was powered by Nu Anh Le and Thi Uyen Nguyen, who combined for 23 points. Le finished with 12 points on 10 attacks and two aces, while Nguyen contributed 11 markers. Tran Thi Bich Thuy chipped in nine points as Vietnam quickly established itself among the tournament frontrunners.

Lebanon was paced by Shantalle Marie Demirjian, who scored eight points.

Also in Pool B, Kazakhstan and Indonesia opened their campaigns with victories to join Vietnam in the early standings race.

Kazakhstan rebounded from a first-set loss to defeat Hong Kong in four sets, 20-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-13. Tatyana Yatskiv powered the comeback with a match-high 25 points built on 22 attacks, two aces, and a block.

Yulia Fomenko added 13 points and anchored Kazakhstan’s defense at the net, contributing six of the team’s 12 blocks. Hong Kong received 13 points from Lam Shum and nine from Nga Yee Leung.

Indonesia likewise prevailed in four sets, overcoming Iran, 25-15, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22.

Ersandrina Devega led the Indonesians with 20 points, while Medi Yoku added 17 as Indonesia pulled away in the latter stages of the match.

Iran stayed competitive behind the efforts of Elaheh Poursaleh and Fatemeh Khalili, who tallied 20 and 19 points, respectively, but ultimately fell short as Indonesia secured the victory.