“Not good enough.”
A cool shutout win. The fourth-place finish was reclaimed, but the commander was adamant.
Jeong Kwan-jang led the team to a 3-0 shutout victory in the third round of the Dodram V League Women’s Division road match at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon on Wednesday.
Although she didn’t drop a set, the first set was a deuce battle. The second set was also a close one. She won the third set in straight sets.
Speaking after the match, Head Coach Ko Hee-jin said, “It’s encouraging that the players overcame a difficult situation. Unlike usual, we turned it around with our defensive concentration.” “So, we need to do a lot of mental training and practice before meals. We can only do that if we want to win.”
However, on a day like today’s, there is no post-match training. “Today, we have to go home and rest,” Ko laughed.
When asked why he doesn’t often try to attack from the back despite having a good pair of guns, he emphasized that “players in the front are better at scoring than those in the back. I want them to attack from the back.”
When the atmosphere in the middle of the second set was shaky, it was impressive to see the team break out into a rally after a timeout. “I tried to create a comfortable environment for the players somehow, but it didn’t work. I can’t do that for my own comfort,” she said, adding, “Even if I calmed them down after the game, they were good at it because they were pushing when they were playing. I don’t hate the person. It’s the play that’s wrong,” he emphasized.
His trademark beaming smile from his playing days is also rarely seen. “I try not to smile anymore. I love to smile, but I can’t help it,” he said, adding, “There is no easy game. I’m grateful to the players today.”
“Today, Yeom Hye-sun played her role well. She served well in difficult situations and led Jia well. Thanks to them, our offense was stronger and we were able to win.”