Hyundai Capital loses its opening match.
Hyundai Capital suffered a 0-3 (25-27 22-25 23-25) shutout loss against Korean Air on Thursday in the first round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Men’s Division at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon, South Korea.
Before the match, head coach Choi Tae-woong said, “We prepared well,” but added, “We’ve been training together for about a week. We’re still not in sync. We will try to lower the tension in the first match.” He was worried.
He was right. It was a back-and-forth affair in the first set, but Ahmed won the deuce to take the first set. Ahmed scored 30 points and Heo Su-bong 10 on the day, but it wasn’t enough. Jeon Kwang-in’s poor physical condition also hurt.
Coach Choi said, “Ahmed is attacking now, but we need our domestic players to do well. I think the key is Jeon Kwang-in. He’s not in good shape right now. As a result, the offense was dominated.” Choi Tae-woong believes it will take four to five weeks for Jeon to regain his form.
“It seems like Korean Air has one unforced error per game and we have two per set. If the opponent is of similar skill level, it will be a close match, and that’s where the gap widens,” he lamented.
The team tried to utilize the height (205 cm) of Pei Chang, who was recruited through the Asian quota system, but they were unable to do so. There were also communication problems with the domestic players. Choi said, “They are still passive. They need to adapt to Korean volleyball. There are also communication problems. It will take some time,” Choi said.
As for Heo Su-bong, she was utilized as a middle blocker on the day instead of a side hitter or outside hitter. Choi said, “Her reception is above expectations, but her attacking success rate is not there. For the time being, he will play as a middle blocker.” Outside hitter training continues스포츠토토
“I thought we could increase the number of teams,” Choi said of the first match after the introduction of the Asian quota system, “and I think the players in the Asian quota are competitive.”
Hyundai Capital had the longest season with Korean Air last season. They played spring volleyball, defeated KEPCO in the playoffs, and faced Korean Air in the championship game, but were unable to win and fell victim to Korean Air’s overall victory.
Before the match, Choi said, “It’s sports to beat a strong team. We will not give up and compete until the end,” Choi said. However, the team was unable to catch last year’s champions due to the ankle injury of their main setter Kim Myung-kwan and the poor performance of Jeon Kwang-in.