▲ The South Korean women's national volleyball team
The South Korean women's national volleyball team (world No. 33), led by head coach Cha Sang-hyun, advanced to the semifinals with a perfect record after a hard-fought five-set victory against Taiwan (No. 38) in their final group stage match of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup.
The national team defeated Taiwan 3-2 in the fifth match of Group A, held today at the Candon City Arena in the Philippines.
Having previously defeated Kyrgyzstan (No. 96), Uzbekistan (No. 101), the Philippines (No. 50), and Australia (No. 75), South Korea finished with a 5-0 record to top Group A and secure a spot in the semifinals, which is awarded to the top two teams from each group.
South Korea will face Group B runner-up Vietnam (No. 27) in the semifinals on June 13 at 8:00 p.m.
If they defeat Vietnam, they will play in the final on June 14 at 8:00 p.m. against the winner of the match between Taiwan and Kazakhstan (No. 32). If they lose, they will compete in the third-place match against the loser of the Taiwan-Kazakhstan match at 4:30 p.m. on the same day.
On this day, South Korea faced a crisis after losing the third set in a deuce battle, but they managed to win the fourth set to force a fifth.
Lee Ye-rim (Hyundai E&C) paved the way for victory by scoring with a push attack at 12-9, followed by a decisive diagonal open attack at 13-12.
Team captain Kang So-hwi (Korea Expressway Corporation) scored a team-high 28 points, including 7 blocks, while Lee Ye-rim recorded 13 points and Na Hyun-soo (Hyundai E&C) added 12 points.
(Photo: Captured from AVC website, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.