LONDON (Yonhap News) ― The South Korean women’s volleyball team has been wearing the underdog label for some time now.

First, the team pulled off an impressive feat in May and booked one of three final tickets for the London Olympics. South Korea finished second in the final international qualification tournament with five wins in seven contests, when hardly anyone gave the country a fighting chance. Meanwhile, their male brethren, the more glamorous players used to performing under more spotlight in the domestic professional league, failed to qualify for the Olympics.

The players have arrived at the site of the Olympics, but the storyline hasn’t changed. South Korea is once again a heavy underdog. In Pool B, South Korea has drawn the U.S., Brazil, China, Serbia and Turkey. In the July 9 world rankings by the International Volleyball Federation, the U.S., Brazil and China occupy the top three spots, followed by Serbia at No. 7 and Turkey at No. 8. South Korea is 15th.

In the women’s tournament in London, there are two groups of six nations, and the top-four ranked teams in each group after the round-robin play will reach the quarters. For South Korea, winning its first Olympic volleyball medal since 1976 will be a fight against all odds.

Just don’t tell that to the players.

“We’ve come here to win a medal,” said Kim Yeon-koung, the team’s primary offensive weapon, after the squad’s practice at a London school gym Monday. “We think there will be an opportunity for us.”

Kim is competing at her first Olympics. The same can be said for seven of her 11 teammates. South Korea last played in the Summer Games in Athens eight years ago.

Kim Hyung-sil, the head coach, credited the young players’ “passion and pride” with the team’s advance through the qualification round.

The run included South Korea’s first win over Japan in 23 matches, spanning eight years.

He said he’s deliberately replaced some young players from the qualifying tournament with veterans, who he felt would bring more of a desperation factor into the equation.

“Some younger ones would have taken this opportunity (to compete at the Olympics) for granted, thinking maybe there will be a next time,” the coach said.

“But it is different for older players. For most of them, this will be their last Olympics.”

Kim Sa-nee, the team captain and the oldest member at 31, disagreed with the coach’s assessment that the current unit may be lacking the drive of the team that clinched the Olympic berth.