Women’s volleyball Heungkuk Life Insurance won a complete victory with a set score of 3-0 in the match against Hyundai E&C on the 7th, which drew attention as a’preview championship match’. ‘Volleyball Empress’ Kim Yeon-kyung led the attack by scoring 22 points, the most of both teams.
The ‘hidden credit’ was setter Lee Won-jeong (23). He is a player acquired by Heungkuk Life Insurance in a trade in December of last year after giving away the right to nominate a rookie to GS Caltex. He backed up Kim Da-sol until the 4th round, but played the role of a ‘field commander’ by playing full-time at the KGC Ginseng Corporation match on the 3rd and the Hyundai Engineering & Construction match on the 7th.
The first match of the day was in the middle of the first set. With Heungkuk Life Insurance ahead by a score of 9-7, Lee Won-jung found a solver, Kim Yeon-kyung, when the quick attack did not work by using middle blocker Joo-ah Lee. When his first attack was blocked by the opponent’s defense, he tossed Kim Yeon-kyung again and eventually scored. After a long rally at 12-9, he sent the ball to Kim Yeon-kyung to support the open attack score.
Kim Yeon-kyung recorded an attack share of 41.86% in Hyundai Construction. It was the best this season and much higher than the previous 4 games against Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which was in the mid-30%. Heungkuk Life Insurance acting manager Kim Dae-kyung praised Lee Won-jung’s game management and toss accuracy. Kim Yeon-kyung also welcomed it. .
Lee Won-jeong also had a high defensive contribution. He did 4 on the day, including 3 successful blocks in only 1 set. In particular, in a situation where a tie (19-19) was allowed after being chased in the first set, Heungkuk Life Insurance contributed to the victory by blocking the open attack of Hyundai Construction Go Ye-rim.
Lee Won-jung is 3 cm taller than 메이저놀이터the previous player Kim Da-sol (173 cm). He is a setter whose blocking ability is not bad. Hyundai E&C’s side strikers also had a hard time breaking through the Heungkuk Life Insurance blocker wall.
Lee Won-jung was nominated by Korea Expressway Corporation in the first round (2nd overall) of the 2017-18 season. His potential was recognized, but his growth was slow. He moved to GS Caltex for the 2020-21 season and wore his third uniform this season.
If the setter only sticks to the side attack, the opposing blocker will be able to judge and deal with it easily. He is the reason why the center and rear attack attempts should be properly distributed. However, if there is a clear solution, the story is different. In this case, the key is the breathing of the setter and striker, such as toss height and speed.
Lee Won-jung is showing quite good chemistry with Kim Yeon-kyung. Here, his ‘height’ shines when he hits a ball coming over a tall net directly into the opponent’s court or participates in blocking.
Heungkuk Life Insurance erased the difference in points with first place Hyundai E&C. He played 26 matches abreast and made 60 runs. Hyundai E&C recruited Montaño, a former MVP of the Swiss League, in place of Yasmin, whose return was delayed due to a back injury. In the final confrontation in the 6th round, it is expected to show stronger attack power. However, Heungkuk Life Insurance will also have better breathing with the new starters and strikers until then.
The final confrontation of the season between Hyundai E&C and Heungkuk Life Insurance will be held on March 19th. This is the last regular season match between the two teams.