Kim Yeon-kyung plays the role of ‘ace’ at every important moment
“I took a long break, but it could be a problem. Still, there is Kim Yeon-kyung. I know what to do on a big stage like this.”
Women’s volleyball coach Heungkuk Life Insurance Marcello Abondanza (53, Italy) showed confidence while expressing these concerns before the game. It was that Heungkuk Life Insurance’s breath, which had not been played for more than 10 days since the 19th, may not be the best.
When I opened the lid, there was no problem. And there really was Kim Yeon-kyung (35). Heungkuk Life Insurance played Korea Expressway Corporation on the 29th in the 2022-2023 season V-League championship match (5 matches, 3 wins) 1st leg home game (Incheon Samsan Gymnasium) after a 2 hour and 1 minute match with a set score of 3 to 1 (27-25 25- 12 23-25 25-18) won. The two teams will play the second game at the same place on the 31st.
The prestige of being number one in the regular league remained the same. In the first set, Heungkuk Life Insurance was dragged 17-19 for a while, and it seemed that there was an aftermath of the break. Her body didn’t look completely relaxed, and her limbs were often out of sync. However, as director Abondanza said, Kim Yeon-kyung showed her presence at critical moments and she knew exactly what she had to do.
In a situation where they were behind 18-19, Kim Yeon-kyung put an open attack to the side of the opposite court to tie the score, and then made it 20-19 with a blocking score. At 26-25, which entered deuce, he succeeded in scoring a quick open that brought the first set. He heated up the stadium atmosphere of 5464 spectators with his unique fighting uppercut and awakened the fighting spirit of her teammates.
Heungkuk Life Insurance, which gained momentum, scored 7 consecutive times as soon as the second set started, beating Korea Expressway Corporation 안전놀이터early. Heungkuk Life Insurance players continued to drive, never giving up the lead and finishing the second set with a score difference of more than double.
Heungkuk Life Insurance, who lost the 3rd set at the end of a close match, maintained a consistent advantage and ended the game in the 4th set.
Kim Yeon-kyung solved 26 points alone and was responsible for 15 digs, making a big success in the air defense. On this day, the match attracted attention with the ‘spear and shield’ confrontation between Heungkuk Life Insurance, who ranked first in the regular league team’s attack success rate, and Korea Expressway Corporation, who ranked first in receiving efficiency. Heungkuk Life Insurance lived up to its name with a decent attack success rate (42.17%), but Korea Expressway Corporation collapsed with poor receive efficiency (38.20%).