Editor's note: This article will be updated throughout the day's action. The U.S. women face the Dominican Republic in the second quarterfinal.
South Korea takes care of world No. 4 Turkey
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South Korea and Turkey put on a show Wednesday at Ariake Arena, where the South Koreans earned a spot in the semifinals of the women's volleyball tournament at the Tokyo Olympics.
The teams swapped 25-17 victories in the first two sets, and the third was a back-and-forth thriller eventually claimed by South Korea, 28-26 to put Turkey's collective backs against the proverbial wall.
Meryem Boz, Turkey's 6-foot-4 outside hitter who claimed MVP honors at the CEV Tokyo Volleyball European Qualification tourney, responded to the pressure by helping her squad jump out to a 10-3 start to the third. South Korea came roaring back behind outside hitter Yeon-Koung Kim to pull within 16-14 before Turkey hopped onto the back of its pink-haired, 6-foot-5 outside hitter, Ebrar Karakurt, and rallied back for a 25-18 victory.
Turkey, ranked fourth in the world prior to the Olympics, fought off two match points, but South Korea hung tough on the way to a 15-13, fifth-set triumph and a raucous on-court celebration.