South Korea's U-17 women's volleyball team falls short of semis despite Son Seo-yeon's 24-point effort

South Korea's under-17 women's volleyball team, coached by Lee Seung-yeo, was eliminated by Turkey in the quarterfinals of the FIVB World Championship on Saturday.

Korea lost to Turkey 1-3 in sets (25-21, 25-27, 22-25, 17-25) at the National Stadium Park Court in Santiago, Chile, in a disappointing comeback defeat.

The team had won all five group-stage matches to advance as group winners, then swept the Philippines 3-0 to extend its winning streak to six. The run ended against Turkey, one of the world's top junior volleyball programs, ending Korea's semifinal hopes.

Son Seo-yeon of Seonmyeong Girls' High School — nicknamed "Little Kim Yeon-koung" — fought hard with 24 points, but Turkey's wall at the net proved impenetrable. Turkey recorded 21 blocks to Korea's four, dominating the match at the net.

Korea took the first set and led in the second, but surrendered the lead late and dropped the set in a deuce.

The third set brought more struggles against Turkey's height advantage. Korea found some momentum late but still fell 22-25. In the fourth set, Turkey seized control and Korea never recovered.

Korea will next face Thailand on Sunday at 3 a.m. Korean Standard Time in a placement match. A win sends Korea into the fifth-place match Monday at 2 a.m.; a loss means a seventh-place match Sunday at 11 p.m.