Red flags were lit on leading Mercury. Recently, the top teams in the men’s and women’s divisions are suffering side by side.
Korean Air, who placed first in the men’s division, is mired in a four-game losing streak. Starting with the KB Insurance match on the 24th of last month, it fell to Korea Electric Power Corporation, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, and Hyundai Capital. Out of 4 consecutive losses, they only managed to pick up 1 point. Currently, with a record of 19 wins, 8 losses and 56 points, it is still in first place, but the gap with second place Hyundai Capital (52 points) has narrowed to four.
The poor condition of the key players led to poor performance. Veterans in their 30s, such as Han (38), Kwak Seung-seok (35), and Kim Gyu-min (33), need to manage their stamina, but due to team circumstances, they play full-time in every game. Here, even the young striker Lim Dong-hyuk (24) is troubled by the recent ups and downs.
In a crisis situation, meet KB Insurance, which has a good atmosphere. Korean Air will play a home game against KB Insurance in the 5th round of the 2022-2023 Dodram V-League men’s division at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon on the 14th. KB Insurance is on an upward trend with three consecutive wins.
In the previous confrontation, KB Insurance won a complete victory. Foreign player Villena played an active role with 26 points, including 1 blocking and 1 serving. In addition, outside heater Han Seong-seong and Hwang Kyung-min each added 10 points to lead the victory. They dominated the game with superiority in both offense (45-39 points) and serve (3-0 points).
Hyundai E&C showed an unstoppable upward trend by winning 15 consecutive wins at the beginning of the season, but recently the atmosphere has been unusual. Since the last 3 rounds, foreign player Yasmin has been holding on to the lead with her gums in a situation where she left due to a back injury, but her limits were gradually revealed. As soon as Montaño, a new foreign player, was recruited, Kim Yeon-gyeon, the starting Libero, was forced to leave due to an ankle injury.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which was seldom shaken, fell into a losing streak when key players left. After being completely defeated by second place Heungkuk Life Insurance and allowing a chase, he suffered an unexpected blow from the lowest ranked Pepper Savings Bank. Hyundai E&C still maintains first place (61 points), but is closely followed by Heungkuk Life Insurance (60 points) in second place by one point. 안전놀이터
In the match against Pepper Savings Bank, Montaño played its first match in the V-League, but failed to show a satisfactory performance. With 13 points and an attack success rate of 37.5%, only Yasmin’s gap was clearly revealed. Middle blocker Lee Da-yeon played an active role with 19 points, the most in an individual game, but it was not enough to save the team.
Amid an urgent need for a reversal of the atmosphere, we will face Korea Expressway Corporation, which is trying to solidify its 3rd place. On the 14th, Hyundai E&C will face off against Expressway Corporation in the 5th round at the Suwon Gymnasium. The Korea Expressway Corporation was recently on the rise of four consecutive wins, but was caught in the footsteps of GS Caltex in the previous game.
Both Korean Air and Hyundai E&C are leading the way anxiously, like a trick of fate. The two teams are burning inside, but volleyball fans are adding to the fun of watching the fierce competition to win.