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Reporter: NBC Sports

The U.S. women's volleyball team is returning to the Olympic Gold Medal Match for the second time in as many Games after an impressive sweep of South Korea in Thursday's semifinal at Earls Court in London.

The set scores were 25-20, 25-22, 25-22.

Team USA will face Brazil in the finals on Saturday night.

"It's great to be in this position," U.S. middle blocker Christa Harmotto told the Associated Press. "It's a position we've worked for for four years, and we're exactly where we want to be."

In a matchup of the two leading scorers in London, American Destinee Hooker got the better of South Korean Kim Yeon-Koung. Hooker led the U.S. with 21 kills and three blocks, besting Kim's 18-kill performance. Kim's 20 points were her fewest of these Olympics.

More importantly, Hooker's points helped her team sweep the upstart South Koreans, who entered the Olympics ranked 15th in the world but pulled upsets over Brazil and Italy in London.

Lindsey Berg also returned from her left ankle injury and started for the Americans, making 45 sets without an error for her team. She sat out the quarterfinal game against the Dominican Republic.

"It's game time and I feel great, and I don't care how I feel after Saturday," Berg told the AP about the final.

"That's great that she feels so positive about it," U.S. coach Hugh McCutcheon told the AP. "I had time to give her a hug and tell her nice job. If she feels good then the rest of us do as well."

Throughout the first set the teams traded small leads, South Korea's last coming at 16-15. Team USA took firm control of the set with a 5-0 run, including four points on Jordan Larson's serve and a pair of spikes by Hooker, to take a 20-16 lead.

The U.S. didn't let South Korea get any closer than within three points the rest of the way as a Foluke Akinradewo spike at 21-18 stopped the South Koreans' brief momentum before a service error on set point handed the Americans a one-set lead.

South Korea stayed in front of the U.S. for most of the second set, gaining a 20-17 edge on Yang Hyo-Jin's spike. A block and a spike by Hooker drew the Americans to within 20-19, and they evened the set when a botched South Korean block allowed Harmotto to keep the point alive for Hooker to end with a kill.

The South Koreans regained a 22-21 lead but the U.S. came back again to win the last four points. Two errors by South Korea gave the Americans a 23-22 lead before Larson's touch spike over the block gave them a set point. Hooker's ensuing serve was unreturnable and the U.S. gained a two-sets-to-none lead.

In a third competitive set, the teams found themselves knotted at 21-all. But as they had in the previous two sets, the Americans dominated in the home stretch, winning four of the last five points to clinch the match.

A pair of Hooker spikes and an unreturnable serve by Larson set up match point, when the four-time Olympian Logan Tom pounded a kill to send the U.S. to the final.

"They played like the No. 1 team in the world and they overwhelmed us with their speed, power and accuracy," South Korea coach Kim Hyung-Sil told the AP.

Larson had 10 kills and three blocks for the U.S. while Akinradewo tallied eight kills and two blocks. Tom also had six kills and a block. Han Song-Yi added seven kills and a block for South Korea.

The Gold Medal Match will be Saturday against either Brazil or Japan. Team USA beat the Brazilians in four sets in Group B play but has not faced Japan at these Olympics.

The Americans' play in their first seven games has given Berg confidence that they'll win the elusive first gold medal in team history.

"It's hard not to imagine that because this team is a gold medal-winning team," she told the AP. "Of course I've dreamed it and it was a beautiful dream."

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