KIM YEON-KYUNG, WILLOW'S PERFORMANCE... HEUNGKUK LIFE INSURANCE DEFEATS KOREA EXPRESSWAY CORPORATION AND PUTS PRESSURE ON HYUNDAI
Heungkuk Life Insurance, aiming for a 'last-minute turnaround', added 3 precious points and put pressure on leader Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
Heungkuk Life Insurance defeated Korea Expressway Corporation with a set score of 3-1 (25-14 25-20 21-25 25-17) in the professional volleyball Dodram 2023-2024 V League women's home game held at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 1st.
Second-place Heungkuk Life Insurance filled 70 points (25 wins, 7 losses), narrowing the gap with first place Hyundai Engineering & Construction (72 points, 24 wins, 7 losses), which had played one less game, to 2 points. 파워볼
Although Hyundai Engineering & Construction still holds the magic number to secure first place in the regular league, Heungkuk Life Insurance saved the possibility of a 'reversal' with a win that day.
Heungkuk Life Insurance imagines a thrilling scene in which Cheong Kwan-jang catches Hyundai Engineering & Construction on the 2nd, and they win the match against Hyundai Engineering & Construction on the 12th and regain first place in the regular league.
First of all, the foundation for a reversal has been laid.
On this day, Heungkuk Life Insurance's attack was led by Kim Yeon-kyung (21 points) and Willow Johnson (26 points, registered name Willow), and Reina Tokoku (9 points, registered name Reina) contributed.
Although it won the championship last season by defeating Heungkuk Life Insurance, Korea Expressway Corporation, which was confirmed to be eliminated from the postseason this season, finished the 2023-2024 regular league match with Heungkuk Life Insurance with 1 win and 5 losses.
Heungkuk Life Insurance overcame its first hurdle on this day thanks to Raina.
At 12-12 in the first set, Raina took the lead with a series of quick open and open attacks, and then setter Lee Won-jeong blocked Lee Ye-rim's open attack to make it 15-12.
‘Best friends' Kim Yeon-kyung and Kim Su-ji worked together to win the first set.
At 16-14, Kim Yeon-kyung blocked the open attack of the opponent's main gun, Vanja Bukiric (registered name Bukiric).
Suji Kim scored with an open attack in the ensuing rally, and blocked Tanacha Ssuksot (registered name: Tanacha)'s quick open.
As Kim Yeon-kyung blocked Buki Ricci's quick open, Heungkuk Life Insurance ran away to 20-14.
Afterwards, Heungkuk Life Insurance ended the first set at 25-14, tying Korea Expressway Corporation to 14 points thanks to Lee Joo-ah's serve ace and Willow and Kim Yeon-kyung's firepower.
Heungkuk Life Insurance scored three consecutive points at 17-16 in the second set, defeating the opponent.
At the end of the rally, Lee Joo-ah blocked Lee Ye-rim's quick open, and Raina added a score with a quick open.
Willow's serve ace exploded, and Heungkuk Life Insurance ran away to 20-16, securing victory in the second set.
Korea Expressway Corporation attempted a counterattack by winning the third set.
However, Heungkuk Life Insurance won the 4th set and earned 3 points.
Heungkuk Life Insurance, who broke the balance with Willow's rear attack at 8-8 in the 4th set, widened the gap to 10-8 with Kim Yeon-kyung's excellent agility to save the ball that fell after hitting the net, and even succeeded in a clever open attack.
Heungkuk Life Insurance ran away with 15-8 thanks to Kim Yeon-kyung's time-lapse attack, Lee Won-jeong's sub-ace, and the opponent's mistakes.
In fact, it was the moment when the game was over.
Heungkuk Life Insurance exceeded 2,600 (2,603) total team sub-aces for the first time in the V-League women's division.
Kim Yeon-kyung added her four blocking points, making her the 16th player in the history of the V League women's division to surpass 300 blocking points (301).
On this day, a crowd of 6,122 people entered the Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon.
At Yu Gwan-sun Gymnasium in Cheonan, where the men's game was held, all tickets (3,475) were sold, successfully selling out both men and women on March 1st.
This is the second time this season that both men's and women's games were filled with 10,000 spectators on the same day, following February 12 (3,599 for the men's Woori Card-Hyundai Capital, and 3,834 for the women's Hyundai Engineering & Construction-Heungkuk Life Insurance).
