South Korea made it to the next knockout stage in the men's volleyball tournament at the Asian Games in China after beating Cambodia on Thursday.
In the team's second Pool C match at Linping Sports Centre Gymnasium in Hangzhou, the 27th-ranked South Korea earned a 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-15) victory against Cambodia, which is too low to be ranked on the world's volleyball ranking system.
It is the team's first win at the continental tournament, which kicks off Saturday for a 16-day run, after suffering a stunning 3-2 upset by 73rd-ranked India the previous day.
With the win, South Korea finished second in Pool C in the preliminary group stage and took a berth for the next 12-team knockout round. India won the group with two wins, while Cambodia was eliminated after two losses.
South Korea will take on 51st-ranked Pakistan, who topped Pool D after two straight wins, on Friday for a quarterfinal berth Sunday. If everything goes well, South Korea will play semis on Monday and the final on Tuesday.
South Korean men have reached the volleyball podium at every Asiad since 1966, bagging 15 medals in total. South Korea won silver behind Iran in 2018.
After winning the tight first set 25-23, South Korea brought about an easy 25-13 win in the second set on blocks and opponents' errors.
The third set was also smooth for Korea, starting with an early 3-0 lead. It extended the lead to 16-9 on two aces by middle blocker Kim Min-jae, and its powerful attacks led by outside hitters Jung Ji-seok and Jeong Han-young helped the country seal the match at 25-15.
Jung, who missed Wednesday's opener due to back pain, was the country's most effective weapon with 11 points, including one ace and two blocks, while his teammate, Kim Min-jae, scored 10 points, including two aces.
Source: Yonhap News Agency