Professional volleyball men’s Korean Air and women’s Hyundai Construction lost side by side on the 17th. Both teams lost their performance in the first half when they overpowered their opponents, and voices of concern are growing ahead of the postseason.
Korean Air lost 0-3 in the Dodram 2022-2023 V-League men’s Woori Card match held at Jangchung Gymnasium on the 17th.
Korean Air was also dragged by Woori Card, who was on a five-game losing streak, and eventually suffered a shutout loss.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction also lost 2-3 after a full set match in the away game against KGC Ginseng Corporation held at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon on the same day.
Hyundai E&C first gave up two sets and was on the verge of a shutout loss, then won two sets to return the game to the starting point, but knelt down in the last 5 sets.
In this game, both teams seemed to have lost the dignity they showed in the early and mid-season.
Korean Air gave up the set at the end of the first set as Jung Ji-seok’s receive was shaken. In the 2nd set, in a close match with deuce, Jeong Han-yong made a mistake while serving. Even in the third set, Korean Air, whose receive was shaken and dragged, suffered a complete defeat.
Hyundai E&C handed over 1-2 sets to Ginseng Corporation amid receiving anxiety and frequent attacks. Hyundai E&C won 3-4 sets thanks to the temporary sluggishness of the opponent’s main gun Elisabeth, but at the crucial moment Montaño’s attack was blocked by the opponent and lost.
Both teams are in poor overall performance.
For Korean Air, the ups and downs of the main gun, Lincoln, have become even more severe. Han, a veteran starter setter, is also showing physical problems and spending more time off the court. Jeong Ji-seok, who was powerful in both offense and defense, increased his crime rate. Jeong Han-yong, who replaces the injured Kwak Seung-seok, is showing his lack of experience by making mistakes at the crucial moment.
In the case of Hyundai E&C, Montaño, a new foreign player, is not showing the same level of skill as Yasmin, who was released. Setter Dain Kim’s toss has been shaking rapidly lately. Hwang Min-kyung and Go Ye-rim are showing their physical burden. Jung Ji-yoon’s receiving anxiety has not improved significantly. The power of middle blockers Yang Hyo-jin and Lee Da-hyun is also halved compared to the early and mid-season.
The current situation of the two teams is a big difference from when they showed overwhelming performance with record-breaking winning streaks in the early and mid-season. There are also observations that the current sluggishness may be the result of over-pacing to continue the winning streak.
There is also an aspect where accumulated problems over several seasons are revealed. Both teams have maintained their strongest power over the past several years. Korean Air has not missed the top spot since the 2020-2021 season and is aiming for a third 바카라사이트consecutive combined championship this season. From the 2021-2022 season, Hyundai E&C is breaking the record for winning streaks with overwhelming performance.
Amid brilliant achievements, the aging of key players and the delay in the generational change have subsided. The all-out pitch to break the winning streak led to exhaustion at the end of the season. This is a concern about some kind of burnout.
Although there is a downtrend like this, there is still a possibility of winning. Korean Air is still in first place in the men’s division, so it is possible to go directly to the championship match. Hyundai E&C also fell to second place, but the difference with Heungkuk Life Insurance in first place is only one point.
The attention of volleyball fans is expected to be focused on whether Korean Air and Hyundai E&C will succeed in rebounding and bear fruit of winning the spring volleyball.