(Asiad) S. Korea beats Philippines to start men's volleyball tournament
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea shut down the Philippines to open the men's volleyball tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday.
Coached by Issanaye Ramires, South Korea won its first Pool D match by 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-22) at Park Arena Komaki in Komaki, just north of the main host city of Nagoya.
Outside hitter Lim Sung-jin led the way with 13 points, while Jeong Han-young and Im Dong-hyeok added 11 points apiece.
Im Dong-hyeok of South Korea (R) hits a spike against the Philippines during the teams' Pool D match in men's volleyball at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Park Arena Komaki in Komaki, Japan, on Sept. 27, 2026. (Yonhap)
Jeong and Im combined for eight points in the opening set, as South Korea pulled away after building an 11-9 lead.
South Korea had a little tougher time in the second set, unable to close out the Philippines with a 22-21 lead. Down 25-24, though, South Korea got two quick points on the opponent's errors.
In the third set, South Korea turned a 15-14 deficit into a 17-15 lead. Then from 21-20, South Korea scored on an opposition error and a serve ace by Lee Sang-hyeon en route to a straight-set victory.
South Korea will next play Chinese Taipei on Monday and China on Tuesday.
The top two nations from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals Thursday.
South Korea won 14 straight men's volleyball medals from 1966 to 2018, but the streak ended at the 2023 Asiad in Hangzhou, China, where the team finished in seventh place.
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