Jakarta. Indonesia has won four matches in a row to reach the semifinal of the Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship and qualify for the U21 World Championship to be held next year.

Indonesia defeated India 3-1 in the crucial Pool E match at Jawa Pos Arena in Surabaya on Saturday evening, securing a semifinal spot.

The opening set saw a dominant display by the home team, winning 25-20. India fought back fiercely in the second set, overcoming a six-point deficit to level the score, but eventually lost 25-23.

In the third set, the visitors took advantage as Indonesian players made numerous unforced errors, marked by poor receptions and weak defense, allowing India to win by a margin of nine points.

Knowing that Indonesia was only one set away from qualifying for the world championship, coach Li Qiujiang motivated the players to regain confidence and return to the attacking style they showed in the first set.

With the support of a noisy home crowd, Indonesian players took the fourth set 25-18.

“Junior players like them often underestimate opponents, especially after winning the first two sets. They began to make mistakes and couldn’t recover from them. In the fourth set, I motivated them to play more confidently,” said the Chinese coach.

Opposite hitter Dawuda Alaihi was Indonesia’s top scorer with 26 points, outscoring teammates Darda Mulya (middle blocker) and Farchan Vachrezy (open hitter), who each collected 10 points.

In previous group matches earlier this week, the host team achieved three successive wins over Hong Kong, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.

The win over India was crucial because Indonesia's next group match is against Asian powerhouse and three-time champion Japan. A defeat in the India match would have made it very difficult for Indonesia to advance further.

The other semifinal spots will feature reigning champion Iran and South Korea from Pool F.

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