Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers advance to continental volleyball championship semifinal

The Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers advanced to the semifinals of the AVC Men's Champions League 2026 on Wednesday, defeating defending champions Al Rayyan SC of Qatar 3-1 in the quarterfinals in Pontianak, Indonesia.

The side faces Indonesia's Jakarta Bayangkara Presisi at 9 p.m. on Friday, with a spot in the Asian Volleyball Confederation final on the line.

The Skywalkers were without two of their regular foreign players — Leonardo Leyva and Bayarsaikhan Batsukh — who were unavailable for personal reasons. In their place, the team brought in two temporary additions: Chinese national team outside hitter Hu Zhenzhou and Jiang Chuan, a 205-centimeter-tall (6-foot, 9-inch-tall) opposite spiker, who is also on China's national team. Both are candidates to join the club on Asian quota slots next season.

Outside hitter Heo Su-bong led the team with 16 points on a 46.9 percent attack efficiency, while Zhang Chuan contributed 15 points despite some early chemistry issues with the setters. Rising prospect Hong Dong-seon added 14 points in a strong supporting performance, with middle blockers Choi Min-ho and Kim Jin-young chipping in 5 and 4 points respectively. Libero Park Kyeong-min was steady throughout in the back row, and pinch server Lee Si-woo made an impact with strong serves off the bench. The Skywalkers took the first two sets comfortably before dropping the third, then held off a late push from Al Rayyan SC to close out the match in four.

Standing in its way is a Jakarta side assembled specifically for this tournament, with several players familiar to Korean volleyball fans. The hosts signed world-class middle blocker Noumory Keita and opposite spiker Robertlandy Simón on short-term loans for the competition. Keita led the Busan OK Savings Bank OKman to back-to-back V League titles in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, then joined the Uijeongbu KB Insurance Stars in 2020, where he put together a historic 2021-22 campaign — setting a single-season scoring record of 1,285 points, earning the regular season MVP award and leading the club to its first-ever final. He won the Asian club title with Al Rayyan last year and is now chasing back-to-back continental championships. Jakarta also brought in Rok Mozic, a Slovenian national team outside hitter who plays for Verona in Italy.

Jakarta beat FC Zhetysu Taldykorgan of Kazakhstan 3-1 in the quarterfinals, with Keita posting 28 points at a remarkable 65.8 percent efficiency. Mozic added 15 points including two serve points and two blocks. Simón contributed 11 points.

The winner of Friday's semifinal advances to the final the following day, while the loser plays in the third-place match. The champion receives $20,000 in prize money and a berth to the FIVB Volleyball Club World Championship. 

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KIM HYO-KYUNG [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]