CANDON, Ilocos Sur – South Korea barged into the semifinals of the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup in emphatic fashion, overwhelming Australia, 25-18, 25-15, 25-19, on Thursday night at the Candon City Arena here.
The victory completed the semifinal cast and set up a blockbuster clash for Pool A supremacy, with South Korea joining Chinese Taipei, which earlier in the day eliminated host Alas Pilipinas, atop the standings at 4-0.
South Korea and Chinese Taipei will dispute the Pool A top seed on Friday at 9 p.m. in the tournament presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Na Hyunsoo spearheaded a balanced offensive attack for South Korea with 10 points, while Park Eunjin added nine.
Jeong Yunju and skipper Kang Sohwi chipped in seven points apiece.
South Korea controlled the match with a 35-27 advantage in attacks and capitalized on Australia’s 23 errors, while committing only 10 of their own in the one-hour and 10-minute contest.
Middle blocker Anni Tang led Australia, which dropped to 2-2, with 12 points on five attacks, four blocks, and three aces.
(C) AVC
Meanwhile, Vietnam and Kazakhstan also secured their respective semifinal berths after dominant wins earlier in the day.
Defending champion Vietnam improved to 4-0 with a 25-11, 25-19, 25-14 victory over Lebanon, while Kazakhstan outlasted Iran, 25-19, 25-20, 27-25, in Pool B action.
Kazakhstan and Vietnam will now dispute the top spot in Pool B on Friday at 9 a.m. in the tournament co-presented by the FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City, led by Mayor Eric Singson.
Trần Thị Thanh Thúy delivered 21 points on 19 attacks and two kill blocks to power Vietnam.
Shantelle Marie Demirjian paced Lebanon with 13 points, all from attacks, as the squad remained winless through four matches.
(C) Eric Singson
On the other hand, Ekaterina Mikhailova led Kazakhstan with 14 points, while Dinara Razakberlina added 10 as the team continued its strong showing after finishing second behind the Philippines in pool play last year before eventually placing fourth in the tournament.
Iran also remained winless after four games, led once again by Fatemeh Khalili with 18 points.
(C) Eric Singson
In other Pool A action, Uzbekistan finally broke through for its first win, dispatching Kyrgyzstan, 25-20, 25-13, 25-19, in a clash between winless sides.
