Heungkuk Life Insurance, a women’s professional volleyball player, finally caught up with Hyundai E&C.
Heungkuk Life Insurance won a complete victory with a set score of 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-15) in the 5th round away match against Hyundai Engineering & Construction in the 2022-23 Dodram V League Women’s Division held at Suwon Indoor Gymnasium on the 7th. Ace Kim Yeon-kyung scored 22 points and foreign player Yelena scored 20 points.
Heungkuk Life Insurance recorded 20 wins (6 losses) of the season and added 3 points. It recorded the same number of points (60) as first place Hyundai E&C. Hyundai E&C, which recorded 21 wins (5 losses), maintained second place behind the most wins. However, the difference was cleared for the first time this season. The competition for first place in the V-League women’s division is heading to its climax.
Heungkuk Life’s solver was also Kim Yeon-kyung, the ‘Volleyball Empress’. With a 9-7 lead in the first set, he rallied twice in the right to attack, breaking through Hwang Yeon-joo’s blocking and scoring an open goal. The score gap widened to 3 points. Even in the 12-9 situation, Kim Hae-ran and Lee Won-jeong scored a goal by linking the attacking power brought by the flying defense to a goal. At 20-20, which allowed a tie, he also succeeded in a quick open. Heungkuk Life Insurance took the first set with a 4-point margin, with Yelena and Kim Mi-yeon adding to the score. Heungkuk Life Insurance, who defeated the opponent’s momentum, easily took the 3rd set. Lee Joo-ah’s fast break scored 15 points with an 8-point lead, and Byun Ji-su’s quick break scored 10 points and stepped on the 20-point high. Afterwards, backup outside hitter Kim Da-eun led the attack and scored the 25th goal without difficulty. Heungkuk Life Insurance won a shutout victory against Hyundai E&C this season. 안전놀이터
In the second set, which was a deuce match, Kim Yeon-kyung shone. Heungkuk Life Insurance took a lead by 23-20, 3 points, but was chased by Hwang Yeon-ju by allowing 2 runs in a row. Yelena made a set point, but Yang Hyo-jin, the opponent’s mainstay, conceded consecutive runs and gave it 24-24 deuce. However, at 25-25, Kim Yeon-kyung succeeded in attacking with a time difference and took the lead, and after regaining the right to attack in the ensuing defense, he scored again with a time difference after two attempts. Kim Yeon-kyung scored 10 points in sets alone.
Hyundai E&C realized the absence of foreign players at the watershed of the competition for first place. Montaño joined as a substitute for Yasmin, who left due to a back injury, but could not play this match due to insufficient administrative procedures. If we had won the head-to-head match today, we could have widened the gap to 6 points. The scenario was that Montaño would join in and regain his dominance at the beginning of the season, which won 15 consecutive wins. However, he could not surpass Kim Yeon-kyung.
Korean Air, who placed first in the men’s division, is also staggering. In the match against Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, the lowest place in the home at Gyeyang Gymnasium, they lost with a set score of 2-3. For the first time this season, they lost 3 in a row.