'Araujo's 24-point one-man show was not enough' Korean Air wins the 37-35 bloodbath! Crushes Our Card 3-0 to reach the final [KOVO Cup Semifinal Review]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Korean Air was the side that smiled in the fierce battle that went all the way to 37-35.

On the 24th, at the Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu City, South Jeolla Province, Korean Air crushed Our Card with a set score of 3-0 (25-22, 37-35, 25-16) in the men's semifinals of the 2026 Yeosu NH Nonghyup Cup Professional Volleyball Tournament.

With this, following three consecutive wins in the group stage, Korean Air extended its winning streak to four games by advancing through the semifinals and secured an early spot in the final. On the 25th, at the same venue, it will face the winner of the KEPCO-Hyundai Capital match to compete for a second consecutive tournament title and its seventh overall championship.

What decided the outcome was the variety of attacks and the battle in the middle. With Im Dong-hyeok (27) scoring a team-high 15 points, Kim Min-jae (23) recorded 11 points, Jung Ji-seok (31) had 10 points, Jeong Han-yong (25) scored 9 points, and Kim Gyu-min (36) tallied 8 points. Setter Han Seon-su (41) added 6 points, including four blocks.

In particular, Han Seon-su's seasoned game management stood out. Without relying on a specific attacker, he utilized the middle and sides evenly to shake Our Card's blocking. Middle blockers such as Kim Min-jae and Kim Gyu-min fulfilled their roles, while Im Dong-hyeok, Jung Ji-seok, and Jeong Han-yong consistently took charge of scoring.

Korean Air's team blocks totaled 12, significantly outpacing Our Card (3). They also held the advantage in service aces with a 6-2 lead. The attack success rate was 53.25%, higher than Our Card's (49.04%), and unforced errors were 17, which was 11 fewer than the opponent's (28).

On the other hand, Our Card, led by Head Coach Park Cheol-woo (41), could not celebrate despite Araujo's (32) valiant effort. Araujo led the attack with a tournament-high 24 points across both teams. His attack success rate was also respectable at 57.14%. He threatened Korean Air with powerful attacks throughout the match, but support from the other players was lacking.

Kim Hyeong-geun (24) contributed with 14 points, but Kim Dong-min (23) scored only 7 points and Park Jin-woo (36) managed just 5 points. In particular, the chemistry between setter Han Tae-jun (22) and Asian quota middle blocker Martin Ahmadi (25, registered name: Martin) was not smooth. As attacks in the middle rarely opened up, the offense concentrated on the sides, including Araujo. This contrasted with Korean Air finding diverse attacking routes under Han Seon-su's command.

The turning point was the second set. Our Card, which lost the first set 22-25, found itself in a desperate situation in the second set as well, trailing 19-24. However, with a counterattack led by Araujo, they scored five consecutive points to dramatically force deuce. After that, the two teams could hardly end the set. Whenever Korean Air grabbed a set point, Our Card caught up, and Our Card also failed to capitalize on its chances to take the lead. As Araujo's powerful spikes clashed with Korean Air's organized attacks, the score reached 35-35. In the final moments, Korean Air's focus shone.

Korean Air took a 36-35 lead following an attacking error by Araujo, and Han Seon-su directly blocked Kim Dong-min's attack to close out the set at 37-35. It was an even more disappointing result for Our Card. They overcame a five-point deficit to drag the match to deuce, but failed to overcome attacking errors and blocking disadvantages in the decisive moments.

With momentum rising, Korean Air took control of the flow early in the third set. Centered on Han Seon-su's game management, points came evenly from both the middle and the sides. Meanwhile, Our Card had Araujo continuing to take charge of the attack, but support from domestic players was lacking, and they could hardly find a way through in the middle either. Korean Air widened the score gap to block Our Card's pursuit. After Han Seon-su's block created match point, they secured the final point with an attacking error by Kim Hyeong-geun, ending the game 25-16.

Our Card concluded its first participation in a cup tournament under Head Coach Park Cheol-woo in the semifinals. They reported Head Coach Park's first victory as the official head coach by defeating KB Insurance in the group stage, but after losing to KEPCO, they also failed to overcome the wall of Korean Air. While confirming Araujo's attacking power as a definite weapon, they left behind tasks such as the completeness of middle attacks, including the chemistry between Han Tae-jun and Martin, and scoring support from domestic players.

Korean Air will challenge for its seventh overall tournament championship at 1:30 p.m. on the 25th at Yeosu Jinnam Gymnasium.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original