Hyundai Engineering & Construction beat GS Caltex in the third round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Women's 3rd round by a set score of 3-0 (25-23 25-17 25-19) at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul on the 3rd.
With the victory, Hyundai Engineering & Construction closed the gap with Heungkuk Life (11 wins, 1 loss, 30 points), the first-place player who played one game less, with 9 wins and 4 losses and 29 points.
The number of consecutive wins has also been increased to five. Starting with beating IBK Industrial Bank of Korea 3-0 (25-19 25-13 25-22) on the 16th of last month, Hyundai Engineering & Construction beat Pepper Savings Bank 3-0 (25-22 25-18 25-21) on the 23rd, GS Caltex 3-1 (25-21 25-15 20-25 25-19) on the 26th, Korea Expressway Corporation 3-1 (23-25 25-20 25-22 25-21) on the 30th, and overwhelmed GS Caltex with a shutdown and whistled for a fifth consecutive victory.
In an official interview after the game, Hyundai Engineering & Construction coach Kang Sung-hyung said, "I was very worried because it's been a long time since Kim Joo-hyang played a game. He wasn't an exceptionally outstanding performance, but he did a good job in receiving and defense, he said, expressing satisfaction, "He played his part and the overall team balance was good."
Hyundai Engineering & Construction left for Thailand on the 1st after Wipawi, a Thai outside heater who is with the Asian quarter this season, recently suffered a father's injury. After completing the funeral process, Wipawi will return home on the 5th and join his team Hyundai Engineering & Construction again.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction was not shaken by the unexpected absence of the main players. As Kang Sung-hyung envisioned before the game, Kim Joo-hyang and Ko Min-ji filled the vacancy of Wipawi well.
Kim Joo-hyang helped Hyundai Engineering & Construction win with four points, including one block. Ko Min-ji showed off her unique solid receiving ability, cutting off GS Caltex's attack flow several times.
Zupo Moma did a great job as an ace. With 23 points, 43.69% of the attack share, and 44.44% of the attack success rate, Hyundai Engineering & Construction clearly set the center of the attack.
The presence of "Blo Queen" Yang Hyo-jin also shone. Yang Hyo-jin broke GS Caltex's defense with Moma, showing 17 points, including three blocks, and a 66.67% attack success rate. Young players, including Lee Da-hyun with 9 points and Jung Ji-yoon with 7 points, also gave the team valuable points every time they fought in good condition.
Coach Kang Sung-hyung was most satisfied with the players' great performance despite the sudden departure of the main player. Although the organization was lacking until the first round amid changes in the composition of foreign players and the transfer of key players to the national team in the off-season, the entire team seems to be on track now.
"Our team had a difficult situation last season, but the players worked together to overcome it," coach Kang Sung-hyung said, adding, "To become a strong team, these appearances must come out and it is a condition for the strong team."
Regarding receiving, which is considered Hyundai Engineering & Construction's weakness, he also praised Jung Ji-yoon's receiving efficiency and found stability today, saying, "Receiving was the most stable of the recent games."
The strategy to shake GS Caltex with a serve also hit the mark. Head coach Kang Sung-hyung added, "The serve went in well from Moma, Yang Hyo-jin and Lee Da-hyun, and the effective blocking was also done well."
GS Caltex coach Cha Sang-hyun, who suffered a painful loss to Hyundai Engineering & Construction, clearly admitted to the complete defeat. It was evaluated that they lacked their play and Hyundai Engineering & Construction's height and organization were excellent.
Manager Cha Sang-hyun said, "Hyundai E&C is basically a team with a libero, setter, and striker who is good at volleyball," adding, "Hyundai E&C's height is really high. If you are pushed from the height, the pressure that the players feel on the court increases. "We tried to get the flow to our side, but we were blocked and played a difficult game," he explained.