Cheonan, Korea, June 6, 2015 - With neither team able to maintain a high level of play for longer periods Czech Republic will be pleased they were able to edge past home side Korea 3-2 (20-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-20, 15-12) on Saturday.
The two teams seemed very evenly matched as there was nothing to separate them for much of the first set. It was the visitors who earned the first two-point lead of the set before the second technical time-out. Their lead did not last, though, as the Czechs seemed to stop at 17-15 conceding seven unanswered points and eventually losing the set with a service error. They were visibly motivated after that poor finish and raced out to an 8-3 lead in the following set. They were able to maintain that advantage for the rest of the set bringing things to a draw again at one set all.
The third set saw the Korean team play like a well-oiled machine with powerful serves and spikes and dominant blocking leading them to a 25-18 victory. Once again there was a reversal of fortunes in the fourth set as the Czechs built a formidable lead early on. The home side were able to get closer at 20-17, but the visitors kept their composure to force the match into a tie-breaker.
The fifth set proved most exciting of the entire match. Both teams traded successful spikes until the visitors got ahead at 13-10. Korea were able to save the first match point, but that was all they could do today as the Czechs took the match 3-2. Still, the Korean team showed much promise today, and their fans will be hoping for a better result in tomorrow's rematch.
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