The Armed Forces Sports Unit Sangmu, led by Sergeant Hwang Taek-ui and Lim Jae-young, reached the semi-finals of the Cup for the first time in history.

In the third Group B match of the 2024 Tongyeong-Dodram Cup Professional Volleyball Championship held at Tongyeong Gymnasium on Monday, Sangmu won the game from behind with a set score of 3-2 22-25, 25-20, 14-25, 28-26, 15-13 against Woori Card. With two wins and one loss, Sangmu advanced to the semifinals by beating Woori Card 1-2 as the second-ranked team in the group. It is the first time that Sangmu, an invited team, has advanced to the semifinals since its participation in the cup. Sangmu will compete with Korean Air, which ranked first in Group A, on Wednesday to advance to the final.

Lim led the team with 27 points, the most among its players. Hong Dong-sun and Hong Sang-hyuk scored 17 and 14 points, respectively, to help. Setter Hwang Taek-ui unleashed a barrage of strong serves by posting fast passes to the strikers. In the Asian quarter, Ali Hagparast and foreign player Mihil Ahi scored 25 and 22 points, but Woori lacked the last strength.

At the beginning of the first set, the two teams had a fierce neck-and-neck race, but with Woori Card leading 12-11, Park Joon-hyuk scored three consecutive points on the fastball and blocking, further widening the gap. Ahi’s serve mistake pushed the gap to one point, but he finally won.

The South Korean military athletic unit, which took the first two points with Hong Dong-sun’s quick opening and Yang Hee-jun’s blocking in the second set, recorded a 10-5 double score with the performances of Hong Dong-sun and Hong Sang-hyuk, winning 25-20 without giving up the lead to Woori Card once throughout the second set.

In the third set, Ali’s consecutive back-attack, Ahi’s serve ace, and Woori Card, which scored consecutive points with Hwang Taek and Hong Dong-sun’s offensive mistakes, quickly widened the gap to make it 2-1.

However, Sangmu’s potential stood out. He was close to losing in the fourth set, but Lim Jae-young’s serve ace broke out in a close game of deuce, changing the mood and winning the game. In the fifth set, Woori Card maintained the lead by one or two points, but the game ended in the form of Ahi’s serve mistake, Lim Jae-young’s back attack, and Song Myung-geun’s attack mistake. 메이저놀이터

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, which has confirmed its advance to the semifinals by ranking first in the group, beat KEPCO 3-2 28-26, 19-25, 17-25, 25-23, 15-10 for a third straight win. KEPCO ended the tournament with three losses. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance will face Hyundai Capital, which is ranking second in Group A.