Women's professional volleyball Heungkuk Life's setter Park Hye-jin returned to the court after 16 months and helped her team leap forward with a great game management. It was a meaningful victory not only for Park Hye-jin personally but also for her Heungkuk Life Insurance.
Heungkuk Life Insurance had a set score of 3-2 (26-24 22-25 25-18 22-25 18-16) in the home game against IBK Industrial Bank of Korea in the 3rd round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V League Women's Division held at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 14th. Won with 먹튀검증사이트
With this victory, Heungkuk Life Insurance recorded 13 wins, 2 losses, and 35 points for the season, eliminating the gap with Hyundai Engineering & Construction (11 wins, 4 losses, 35 points). Both the majority of wins and the set win-loss ratio were ahead of Hyundai Engineering & Construction, moving up from 2nd to 1st.
Heungkuk Life Insurance ended its 9-game winning streak by losing to GS Caltex on the 9th with a set score of 1-3 (20-25 25-16 25-27 19-25). Meanwhile, Hyundai Engineering & Construction defeated Pepper Savings Bank on the 12th and gained 3 points, giving up the lead.
To make matters worse for Heungkuk Life Insurance, Lee Won-jeong, who was playing as the starting setter this season, was unable to play in the IBK Industrial Bank of Korea match on the 14th as he recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
Heungkuk Life Insurance coach Marcello Abondanza introduced Park Hye-jin as a card to fill the void of Lee Won-jung. After Hye-Jin Park was informed that she would be playing as a starter just before the IBK Industrial Bank of Korea match, she calmly prepared for her game.
It has been 16 months since Park Hye-jin competed in her official match. Although she was trembling, & # 39; Volleyball Empress & # 39; She showed off her smooth chemistry with Kim Yeon-kyung and led the attack of Heungkuk Life Insurance.
Perhaps due to her declining stamina, Park Hye-jin showed fluctuations in her performance starting from the 4th set and watched the 5th set from the warm-up zone rather than the court. She finished her comeback with a smile as her bloody battle ended with Heungkuk Life Insurance's victory.
In her official Distinguished Player interview after her match, Hye-Jin Park said, “She has increased her training since a few days ago. “The coach didn’t tell me until the day before that she would be playing as a starter today,” she said. “When I heard that she would be playing as a starter, I just thought I had to play with confidence.”
She continued, "It was a tough game, but I'm so grateful that I was able to help the team win," and, "When I watched the fifth set off the court, all I could think about was that I wanted the team to win." Laughed.
Park Hye-jin was a top prospect who was drafted as the 5th pick in the first round in the 2020 rookie draft when she was a third-year student at Myeongseong Girls' High School. Her growth was also rapid. In her second year with the club, she has quickly adapted to her professional life, appearing in 29 games in the 2021-2022 season. She was selected to the national team in 2022, and she was emerging as a rising star in the V-League women's division.
However, ahead of the start of the 2022-2023 season, she suffered a fatal injury, a torn cartilage in her right knee, and was put on the operating table. She sat out the entire season and returned to her team in March to begin her rehabilitation process.
For the first time in her career, not being able to exercise after her surgery has been difficult for Park. With the comfort of her colleagues and family, she strengthened her mind and was able to successfully return to her court.
Hyejin Park said, "When she decided to have the surgery, she cried so much. “Her older sisters, who experienced her surgery and rehabilitation first, comforted her and told her she was okay, and she gained strength with the encouragement of her family,” she said. “While she was resting, she watched her team’s games on TV.” I took care of everything without missing a single thing. “She thought it was a pity that I wasn’t there, but she decided to recover quickly and come back,” she said, looking back.
In her return match that day, Kim Yeon-kyung took care of Park Hye-jin, who must have been nervous. Kim Yeon-kyung talked to Park Hye-jin frequently during the game and helped her junior calmly play her game.
Park Hye-jin said, “(Kim) Yeon-kyung encouraged me to be confident when I was not confident, including in technical aspects,” and added, “The other seniors I played with on the court, my fellow players in the warm-up zone, the coaching staff, and the trainer. “I was able to endure because of people’s support,” he said with a laugh.
Regarding working with Kim Yeon-kyung, "I was worried because we didn't have a long time to work together in detail, but there were some parts that we got along well with. “I think she just needs to adjust things one by one from now on,” she explained.
Coach Abondanza also could not hide his joy at Park Hye-jin's successful return. Not only did she secure two points and move up to the lead, but it was also a great achievement to confirm that she could immediately utilize Park Hye-jin's card to her full potential.
Coach Abondanza said, “Park Hye-jin is definitely a player with potential. “She had not been able to play on the court for 14 months, but she did well in her return game,” he said. “Of course, there were risks, but Park Hye-jin did it well.” “This result is valuable not only to our team but also to Park Hye-jin personally,” he praised.