(Asiad) S. Korea reaches semis in women's volleyball at Asian Games after win over Kazakhstan

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reached the semifinals of women's volleyball at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after defeating Kazakhstan in straight sets in the quarterfinals Sunday.

The team beat Kazakhstan 3-0 (26-24, 27-25, 25-21) at Park Arena Komaki, just north of Nagoya, Japan.

South Korea will face either Japan or Chinese Taipei in the semifinals, scheduled for Monday at the same venue.

It was the first time in eight years that South Korea has advanced to the women's volleyball semifinals at the Asian Games since the 2018 Asiad in Indonesia.

Opposite hitter Yuk Seo-young led South Korea's attack with a match-high 20 points, including one block and two aces, while middle blocker Jung Ho-young added 10 points and Lee Da-hyeon contributed nine.

The first two sets were tight, with both going to deuce.

In the first set, South Korea lost the lead to Kazakhstan 23-22, but soon regained it at 25-24 thanks to setter Kim Da-in's blocks. Captain Kang So-hwi then sealed the set with a spike to make it 26-24.

The second set was even tighter, with the teams trading points late in the set. South Korea reached set point first at 24-23 but then gave up two straight points.

Yuk then delivered a spike and a service winner to help South Korea win the set 27-25 and take a 2-0 lead.

In the third set, South Korea stayed composed after reaching 20 points and extended its lead to four points to close out the match.