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South Korea's U-17 women's national volleyball team / Captured from the FIVB official website

South Korea's under-17 women's volleyball team, led by Son Seo-yeon — dubbed the "next Kim Yeon-koung" — is showing formidable momentum.

The national team, coached by Lee Seung-yeo, crushed Algeria 3-0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-18) in their fifth group-stage match at the 2026 FIVB U-17 Women's World Championship, held in Los Andes, Chile, on the 11th (local time).

With the win, the team went 5-0 in group play, advancing to the round of 16 as group leaders. They had previously defeated Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Italy, and the Dominican Republic in succession.

The team dispatched Algeria with ease, even after playing captain Son Seo-yeon (Seonmyung Girls' High School) for only the first set. After opening with eight straight points to take the first set 25-10, the team went on to sweep all three sets in a one-sided match. Jang Su-in (Gyeongnam Girls' High School) scored 13 points and Eo Min-seo (Hanbom High School) scored 12. Son, who played only the first set, scored 6.

Son now leads the tournament in scoring, with 97 total points across five matches. Regarded as the next generation's power hitter following Kim Yeon-koung, Son stands 182cm tall — shorter than Kim's 192cm — but since she's still just 16, she's expected to grow taller. Kim herself reportedly stood around 187cm early in her pro career before growing further.

At this tournament, Son has impressed not only with her powerful spikes but also with her defense as an outside hitter, repeatedly diving to dig balls in earlier matches. Son herself has expressed a strong attachment to defense and receiving, aspiring to become a complete two-way player.

Son's team, riding this strong run, will face the Philippines in the round of 16 at 9 a.m. KST on the 13th. Often referred to as the "Kim Yeon-koung Kids" generation, the team has shown it can compete on the world stage, raising expectations for an even deeper run. Last year, a U-16 team led by Son won the Asian Championship in Amman, Jordan, marking Korea's first youth international volleyball title in 45 years and earning the team's spot in this tournament.

                                                                                                           Lee Jang-won