Turkish women to take on host Azerbaijan in volleyball semis

Turkish women's volleyball team continues its good run at the European Games in Baku, ready for a semifinal clash on June 25 against host Azerbaijan.

Turkey beat Russia 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-19 on June 23 to advance to the semifinal, while the host nation beat the Netherlands 25-21, 25-23, 25-14 on June 24 to claim a spot.

Turkish women, dubbed "Sultans of the Net," beat Azerbaijan in straight sets in the tournament's group stage on June 21, but Azerbaijan's Polina Rahimova said they had learned from the loss and the semifinal game would be a different story.

"Conclusions after that game were made. We have worked on our mistakes and we are ready to beat them up," said a confident Rahimova after her team's quarterfinal victory.

In June 24's second quarterfinal, Serbia beat Belgium 25-22, 19-25, 25-14, 21-25, 19-17.

Belgium squandered three match points in the final set, before Serbia, which topped Pool B with four wins in five games, finally prevailed 19-17 after being awarded a controversial point for a net touch.

"I want to congratulate Belgium. They are always difficult to play against and never give up," said Serbia's Tijana Malesevic.

"It was a very emotional game and very tiring, but now we have one day to rest, to prepare our minds and our bodies for the semifinal. We are looking forward to playing again."

Serbia will take on Poland June 25 for a place in the gold medal match.

Poland beat Germany 25-23, 27-17, 18-25, 14-25, 15-10 in a five-set thriller on June 23 at Baku's Cyrstal Hall, booking their ticket to the semifinals.

Poland's Katarzyna Skowronska-Dolata said she would have "cut her hands with a plastic knife" if Poland had lost after being two sets up.