Day 5
Koreans win first match at 2007 World Cup over Tunisia, U.S. cruise against Egypt

Hiroshima, Japan, November 23, 2007: Korea won their first match of the 2007 World Cup by beating Tunisia 3-2 in the first match of the day at Hiroshima Green Arena on Friday. The Koreans, a wild card here, ended a run of four straight defeats by outlasting the African vice champions 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-9.
NORCECA champions United States beat African champions Egypt in straightforward fashion in Pool B of the men’s World Cup. The U.S. won 25-22, 25-18, 25-19 at Toyama City General Gymnasium to improve to 3-2, while Egypt lost their fifth in a row.
Korea, who had won only two sets in their previous four matches, improved their win-loss record to 1-4, dropping Tunisia to the same mark with their fourth straight defeat.
In the first set it was a case of Moon rising, as Korean ace Moon Sung-Min eclipsed the Tunisian block with his razor-sharp spiking. Park Jun-Bum was also quickly into his stride on the Korean left, helping his team lead 8-5 at the first TTO.
The Koreans had won only two sets -- both against Australia -- during their four defeats, but their confidence seemed high as they went for their shots and retained a strong team spirit.
Moon scored again with a wristy slap on the left for 11-7, as the Tunisians struggled to match the pace and intensity of the Korean play.
Kaabi on the right wing and Karamosly down the middle tried to get the North Africans moving, but Tunisia head coach Giacobbe had to call his first TO when his team fell behind 13-8.
They returned for Kaabi to strike a ferocious, fluid winner that was too hot to handle for Korea setter You Kwang-Woo, but when the same player spiked long, Korea held a six-point lead at the second TTO, 16-10.
At 17-10, Tunisia took off captain Guidara and sent in second setter Jerbi, and then Kaabi gave way to Garci at 18-10.
Noureddine Hfaiedh finally beat the Korean block and ground defence on the left, but Tunisian winners were rare at this point of the set.
Park made it 20-13, at which point Tunisia took their second TO. Karamosly spiked through a big gap between two Korean blockers, and Jouini soared on the left for 20-16, Korea TO.
Moon on the right and Ha Kyoung-Min took Korea forward, and a block on Garci ended it 25-17 for Korea's third set of the World Cup. Korea had recorded five block points in the first set.
Tunisia set about restoring the damage in the second set, and powered their way to the first TTO with a four-point lead, 8-4.
Karamosly blocked Park, Kaabi and Jouini took it in turn to score on the left, and Hfaiedh rose from the back court for 12-7 as the Tunisians stepped up a gear.
Ha Hyun-Yong tried to bring Korea back into it with a crashing blow at the net, but when the same player served long, Korea trailed by five, 16-11, at the second TTO. Korea needed a TO when the deficit remained at five, 17-12, and Moon made immediate inroads on the resumption.
Brilliant Korean digging by setter You and libero Yeo showed the Tunisians the second set was far from over, and Ha Hyun-Yong blocked Jouini to bring them closer.
Captain Shin Young-Soo rose high on the left to spike steeply at the feet of the Tunisian defence and then battered through a two-man block shortly after to reduce the margin to 20-18.
Tunisia needed a lift, and Karamosly gave it them with a venomous winner down the middle, helping calm the nerves of coach Giacobbe, who was becoming increasingly anxious on the sideline.
On Tunisia's second set point at 24-23, Kaabi scored a deep winner for 25-23, 1-1, but the Koreans complained bitterly that the ball was long.
Although the Tunisian blocking was tough at the start of third set, notably Hfaiedh on Moon, Korea held a one-point lead at the first TTO, 8-7.
Neither team could string together a run of points, until Tunisia jumped from 12-12 to 15-12 thanks to a winner at the net from Skander Ben Tara and a wild Moon spike. Korea took a TO, and still trailed by three at the second TTO, 16-13.
On the restart, Kaabi took Tunisia to 19-14 with two consecutive spikes from left and right, sending Korea into a TO five points adrift.
On the restart, Kaabi blocked Kim Yo-Han to leave the Koreans in bigger trouble, and Karamosly scored an easy winner at the net to keep Korea at a safe distance. Kaabi was proving to be the main ingredient down the stretch, but a rocket serve from Moon closed the gap to 22-18 and sent the Tunisians into a TO.
Tunisia had four set points at 24-20, and Kaabi, climbing high on the right and spiking just inside the base line, ended it 25-21 for 2-1.
After recovering from one set down to lead 2-1, the Africans were clearly favoured to go on and take the fourth set. They would have to work hard to do it, though, as Korea sensed this was a chance for them to win their first match in five attempts.
Tunisia led 8-7 at the first TTO but needed to call a TO on falling behind 11-9 due to a fiery Korean serve.
On the restart, Jouini squeezed one through a three-man block on the left, and Park fired into the antenna to make it 11-11. When Park was blocked on the next point, Korea called a TO having lost three straight points in rapid time.
A brilliant dig by libero Besrour denied the unlucky Park on the next point, but the Korean attacker quickly readjusted his sights to help his team draw level 15-15.
Moon continued to cause all sorts of trouble on the Korean left, and when the east Asians led 21-19 Tunisia called a TO, having lost control of the set.
The Korean blocking was at its best, and captain Shin spiked down the left for 22-19. Ha Hyun-Yong pounced at the net for 23-20, and Park brought up set point at 24-21. Setter You ended it 25-22 with a nifty flick-over, 2-2. Both teams had registered 11 block points in the four sets, with Ha Hyun-Yong leading the way with five.
In the tiebreak, captain Shin drove Korea forward to 4-1, behind some Moon scorchers and Tunisian attack errors.
Shin soared again on the left for 5-2 as the crowd warmed to the Korean spirit, before Hfaiedh scored down the middle for 5-3.
Park and Ha Kyoung-Min moved Korea to 7-3, and Park out on the left gave Korea a four-point lead at the turnaround, 8-4.
Tunisia called a TO on conceding a soft service ace to setter You on the next point, 9-4, and Hfaiedh gave way to Ben Brik on the restart.
Park blocked Ben Brik immediately for 10-4, and the Tunisians took a second TO. Karamosly tried to close the gap with some big hits at the net, but Moon was flying for 12-6. Shin swatted one on the left for 13-6 and Jouini fired wide for match point at 14-7. At 14-9 Korea took a TO and returned to end it 15-9 on a Garci serve error.

U.S. cruise against Egypt
Toyama, Japan, November 23, 2007 — NORCECA champions United States beat African champions Egypt in straightforward fashion in Pool B of the men’s World Cup on Friday. The U.S. won 25-22, 25-18, 25-19 at Toyama City General Gymnasium to improve to 3-2, while Egypt lost their fifth in a row.
Led by the Most Important Player Sean Rooney, ably assisted by William Priddyl, Team USA, who beat Bulgaria in a punishing five-setter the previous day, were a little sluggish out of the blocks but found their form to dominate proceedings on the last day of action in Toyama.
Priddy got his eye in early on to rattle off two big spikes to put United States 11-9 ahead in the first set, but Egypt came back to lead 12-11, one point coming when an ace from Elnaeim Ahmed Abd (Salah) hovered at the top of the net before dropping dead the American side.
USA headed into the second TTO still with a one-point advantage after David Lee blocked his opposite No. 4 Salah. Ryan Millar then gave USA a two-point advantage at 20-18 with a vertical spike off an Egypt ricochet.
A too-hot-to-handle Clayton Stanley ace brought it to 21-18 before Rooney crashed one in from the left, but Egypt pulled one back through Saleh Youssef and then Mohamed Badawy blocked to reduce the deficit to one.
The Egyptians were putting pressure on but then Salah served into the net. Egypt called a TO as the tension began to creep into the players. Millar kept his composure though to force set point with spike deep in his court and Priddy finished things off with a big spike left-side.
The 206-cm Rooney was in blistering form going into the second set and it was the 26-year-old — youngest in the squad — whose spiking put USA 8-4 ahead at the TTO.
A cracking ace from Rooney made it 15-8 and an Egyptian infraction put the score at 16-9 at the TTO. The U.S. were running away with it and Kevin Hansen aced a beauty while the Egyptians stood and watched to make it 20-10.
A brilliant spike by Abdalla Ahmed from deep within his own court drew appreciation from the crowd, but it wasn’t going to stop the U.S. claiming the set.
Rooney forced set point with another hand-stinging spike on the left and who else but the same man secured the set with a mirror-image effort.
The U.S. again made sure they led at the first TTO of the third set, with Priddy’s punishing ace helping them gain a two-point advantage. The USA attack was relentless.
Rooney squeezed in a spike down the left-hand side to take U.S. to the second TTO four points ahead.
Egypt were still giving it their all, though. Badawy slammed one in on the left before Mohamed El Daabousi’s rocket of a serve had the U.S. players beaten all ends up.
A couple of mistakes from the North Africans, though, made it 19-15 to USA and the end for Egypt was coming.
It arrived via a serve into the net from Salah before Youssef did the same.