Iran waltzes into Asian v-ball semis

The national Iranian volleyball squad earns a commanding victory against Sri Lanka in the 16th Asian Men's Volleyball Championship tournament to cruise to the semifinals The Iranian outfit trashed the opponent in three straight sets at the Azadi Indoor Stadium in Tehran on Tuesday, IRNA reported. The hosts dominated the match from the very beginning and pummeled Sri Lanka 25-16, 25-18, and 25-15. The victory also ensured Iran's presence at the 2012 London Olympics. At the discretion of Iran's coach Julio Velasco, some of the key players absented themselves from in the Tuesday meet, to ensure preparedness for showdown with powerhouse South Korea on Wednesday. “We have a difficult match against (South) Korea because they play well. It's [going to be] our most important match so far, because if we win, we can advance to the final,” Velasco said. South Korea has beaten Japan 3-2 to advance into the semifinals. Iranian volleyballers have also trounced Afghanistan, Chinese Taipei, India, Pakistan, and Japan, without losing even a single set. In other matches, Australia outclassed Pakistan 3-1 to set up a semifinal clash against China, who saw off India 3-0. 16 teams play each other in the tournament, which opened on September 21, and will run until Thursday. Only six teams -- Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, Iran, and Kazakhstan -- have so far won the Asian volleyball championship.