S. Korean women’s volleyball team beats Turkey to advance to semi-finals

Aug 05, 2021, 08:06 am

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South Korean women’s volleyball team/ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Jung Jae-ho

Another breathtaking nail-biting five set match unfolded. South Korean captain Kim Yeon-koung jumped at 14-13 to spike the match point to win. The players shed tears at the thrilling yet unbelievable victory.

It was the third five-set marathon game for South Korean women’s volleyball team following the battle against the Dominican Republic and Japan. The only Asian team in the quarter-finals was the first to advance to the semi-finals by beating Turkey, with three wins and two defeats.

South Korean women’s volleyball team shocked Turkey 3-2 (17-25, 25-17, 27-25, 18-25, 15-13) in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympic women’s volleyball tournament at Ariake Arena on Wednesday.

It was a game that overturned the expectation that South Korea was not strong enough to win. This is because Turkey is the world’s fourth-ranked team and has been particularly strong against South Korea. But the food chain didn’t work at the most important moment. It was an unbelievable come-from-behind victory that even South Korean volleyball legend and KBS volleyball commentator Han Yoo-mi said, “I didn’t expect that South Korea would really make it to the semifinals.”

With this, South Korean women’s volleyball team advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in nine years since the 2012 London Olympics. The next goal is winning an Olympic medal. The national women’s volleyball won a bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Games, the country’s first Olympic medal in ball sports.

South Korea and Turkey had an intense seesaw battle during the game. Turkey won the first set with ease, but South Korea counterattacked in the second set and won the third set following a deuce. Turkey, at the end of its rope, won the fourth set. The game stretched into the fifth set. The last set was a battle of concentration where no mistakes had to be made. South Korea, who had already experienced two other five-set marathon games, did not lose concentration and calmly accumulated points one by one. Captain Kim Yeon-koung’s last spike marked the end of the long game.

It was an unbelievable victory even for Kim Yeon-koung, who garnered 28 points. “Honestly, I couldn’t sleep (thinking it would be the last game),” Kim said. “No one would have expected us to advance to the semi-finals before the opening of the Olympics. I’m happy to advance to the semi-finals as a team member.”

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