The Hyundai Capital men’s professional volleyball team won its first match since the All-Star break. The team took two points against No. 2 Korean Air, which was looking to reclaim the top spot, to continue its spring volleyball challenge.
Hyundai Capital defeated Korean Air 3 sets to 2 (25-21 25-18 21-25 26-28 15-12) in the fifth round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon on Tuesday. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak against Korean Air 바카라사이트 and was the first in three years at Gyeyang Gymnasium.
Starting with an accurate toss from long setter Kim Myung-kwan (195 cm), the fiery attacking trio of Ahmed Iqbairi (registered name Ahmed-200 cm), Heo Su-bong (195 cm), and Jeon Kwang-in (194 cm), who have been on fire lately, continued their fierce attacks. With the win, Hyundai Capital improved its record to 10-15 (34 points). They remain in sixth place, but only three points behind fifth-place KEPCO.
Korean Air, on the other hand, squandered a golden opportunity to clinch the top spot in the league. After dropping the first two sets, they fought back to take the match to a full set, but were unable to pull off the win and remain in second place with a 14-11 record (44 points).
The first set belonged to Hyundai Capital. The score was 25-21. The difference was in the number of blocks. HMC had six blocks in the first set, while Korean Air only had one. The offensive trio was responsible for most of the points. In addition to Ahmed’s 10 points, Heo Su-bong (4 points) and Jeon Kwang-in (2 points) also contributed to the offense. The team’s offensive success rate was 63%. In addition, Ham Hyung-jin (186 cm) and Lee Jun-hyeop (186 cm) rattled Korean Air’s defense with their surprise serves.
Korean Air’s offense, on the other hand, struggled early on. Murad was forced to walk to the bench just four minutes into the game as his offense was repeatedly blocked. In his place, Lim Dong-hyuk (201 cm) led the team’s offense. With seven points, he was responsible for the team’s most points, but Korean Air was outmatched in height and had a low attack percentage of 38%.
Hyundai Capital’s offense continued in the second set. The score was 25-18 in favor of HMC for the second set in a row. In particular, 195cm setter Kim Myung-kwan showed all the advantages that a long setter can bring to the court. His accurate tosses to the trio continued, and Ahmed, Heo Su-bong, and Jeon Kwang-in rewarded him with a total of 13 points. In addition, Cha Young-seok (193 cm) and Choi Min-ho (195 cm) combined for five blocks, adding to the team’s good vibes.
Korean Air’s veteran setters were blunt with their tosses. Yoo Kwang-woo (184cm) started the second set, and with the team trailing, Han (189cm) stepped up to the court again, but was unable to connect with the attackers. Murad was also reintroduced in the second set, but was unable to score a single point and had to go straight to the bench.
But Korean Air was not about to go down without a fight. Korean Air’s Jung Jung-yong (194 cm) started to turn the tide. Coming on as a substitute for Kwak Seung-seok (190cm) late in the second set, Jung won seven points in the third set, including two blocks, to torment Hyundai Capital.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair as Korean Air managed to even the set score. The two teams traded deuce after deuce until the set ended with a 28-26 Korean Air victory. This time, it was Lim Dong-hyuk who led the offense. He scored a total of 11 points, including one block, to help tie the set.
It was Hyundai Capital who came out on top in the full set. Ahmed’s four points and a combined eight points from Heo Soo-bong and Jeon Kwang-in sealed the deal. Korean Air tried to pull off a scary comeback, but came up short.
After winning their first game of the fifth round, Hyundai Capital will travel to Ansan to face OK Financial Group on March 2. Korean Air, which failed to regain the top spot, will travel to Daejeon to face Samsung Fire on March 3.
