Women's volleyball powerhouses to rally in Jeju for East Asia showdown

Jeju's hottest sets this summer won't be on the beach — they'll be at the Halla Gymnasium, where four of East Asia's top women's volleyball clubs will battle it out in an inaugural Korea-China-Japan women’s volleyball tournament.

The Women's Volleyball Top Club Supermatch will be held on Saturday and Sunday, with four teams participating.

The Incheon Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders and Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction (Hyundai E&C) Hillstate will represent Korea. Japan's Osaka Marvelous, formerly JT Marvelous, and China's Shanghai Bright Ubest, all title contenders in their respective domestic leagues, will compete in the event.

Players who have represented their countries and the foreign players at each club will not compete under International Volleyball Federation regulations.

On Saturday, the Pink Spiders will face Osaka Marvelous at 1 p.m., followed by Hillstate against Shanghai Bright Ubest at 3:30 p.m.

For the second day, Hillstate will take on Osaka Marvelous at 1 p.m., before the Pink Spiders meet Shanghai Bright Ubest at 3:30 p.m. All matches will be broadcast live on KBS N Sports.

Former volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung, who played for the Pink Spiders, Osaka and Shanghai before retiring from professional volleyball in 2025, will hit the ceremonial first ball on opening day.

KBS N plans to continue hosting high-level international exhibition tournaments and develop the event into an annual fixture. The broadcaster also hopes to strengthen Korean volleyball's international competitiveness by expanding exchanges with overseas clubs.

The tournament will also feature a festival combining volleyball and live entertainment. Singer KCM, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Seogwipo Choir and the Bella Children's Choir will perform on Saturday.

On Sunday, ArteZio Ensemble, a male vocal ensemble and Eins, a female duo that performs “popera,” a music genre that combines pop music with classical opera, will take the stage. A live band performance is also planned for the players' entrance. 

The tournament marks the first time club teams from Korea, China and Japan will compete against one another in Korea.

Tickets are available through Ticketlink and can also be purchased at the venue on match days. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to support the development of volleyball in Jeju.

Meanwhile, fans will also get an early look at Hillstate’s new setter Koo Sol, as well as the Pink Spiders’ new signings, Pyo Seung-ju and Ko Min-ji.

Ko joins the Pink Spiders after leading the Suwon City team to the Korea Corporates Volleyball Federation & Pro Volleyball Futures Championship title last month. Ko was also awarded the MVP at the championship.

"I sincerely thank Heungkuk Life for giving me the opportunity to return to the professional stage, as well as Suwon City team for its unwavering support throughout the process," Ko said. "I want to become a player my team can rely on whenever I'm needed. I'll give my all in every match with a strong sense of responsibility."

The Pink Spiders are expected to use Ko primarily as a libero.

"Ko Min-ji is an outstanding receiver and defender,” Pink Spiders coach Tomoko Yoshihara said. “One of her greatest strengths is that she can play not only libero but also outside hitter. She is versatile enough to be deployed in a variety of situations depending on the flow of the match and the opponent, and I expect her to be a valuable asset to the team."

BY KIM HYO-KYOUNG [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]