LONDON -- Korea dropped to the U.S. in straight sets in the women's volleyball semifinals Thursday.

Destinee Hooker led the Americans with 24 points in the 25-20, 25-22, 25-22 victory. Kim Yeon-koung countered with 20 points and Han Song-yi had 13 in the losing cause.

Korea has been relegated to the bronze medal match, where it will face Japan on Saturday.

Korea is going for its first volleyball Olympic medal since 1976.

After taking the first two sets, the U.S. led 15-10 in the third before Kim, the highest scorer in the group stage with 137 points, singlehandedly brought her team back in the game with a service ace and a powerful spike.

But at 21-21, Hooker landed her spike in no man's land on the Korean court and Jordan Larson scored a service ace to put the game out of reach.

Hooker, who spent the 2009-2010 season in the Korean professional league, dominated the first set. Korea made it more interesting in the second set and led 20-17 at one point.

But Foluke Akinradewo and Hooker got the U.S. within one with key blocks before Hooker evened the score with a spike.

Kim put Korea back up 22-21, but a combination of unforced errors and missed spikes handed the set to the U.S.

Kim said after the game she was disappointed with the loss but she and her teammates "left everything out on the court."

"We played hard but just couldn't get over the hump," she said. "We came to London to win a medal and that dream is still alive."

The U.S., which won the silver medal in Beijing, entered the London Games ranked No. 1 in the world. The U.S. had earlier defeated South Korea in four sets during the group stage.

(Yonhap News)