S. Korea secures 1st place in Pool D in women's volleyball

NAGOYA — South Korea emerged victorious in the final women's volleyball preliminary match at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, securing the top spot in Pool D. They triumphed over Vietnam with a score of 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 26-28, 25-18) at Park Arena Komaki, located north of Nagoya, Japan. South Korea demonstrated their dominance by winning all three matches, whereas Vietnam achieved two wins and a single loss.

Both nations had already earned positions in the quarterfinals. South Korea will face Kazakhstan, the Pool B runner-up behind China, in the eight-team knockout stage, commencing on Sunday. The South Korean team showcased their strengths with a 101-88 advantage in attacks, and a 9-6 lead from the service line. Initially, the first set was a back-and-forth contest until South Korea fell behind 19-18.

However, setter Kim Da-in's two consecutive service winners helped South Korea regain the lead and prompted errors from Vietnam, allowing the team to close out the set 25-21. In the second set, South Korea capitalized on an early 6-1 lead through diverse offensive tactics, such as a block by middle blocker Na Hyun-soo and an ace by Lee Da-hyeon. As the match progressed, South Korea continued to outperform Vietnam.