Korean Air avenged a first-round loss to Samsung Fire by playing “suffocating volleyball,” a style of volleyball that puts a lot of pressure on the opponent.
Korean Air swept Samsung Fire with a set score of 3-0 (25-20 25-19 25-22) in their Dodram 2023-2024 V-League home match at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon on Friday.
Riding a five-game winning streak to improve to 6-2 on the season and 19 points, the league’s second-ranked Korean Air extended its lead over first-place Woori Card (7-1, 20 points).
Notably, Korean Air perfectly avenged a 2-3 loss to Samsung Fire in their first-round matchup on March 19 in a full-set thriller.
Samsung Fire, which had rattled off five straight wins after the opening round defeat and even led the league at one point, has recently lost two in a row (5-3, 14 points), putting the brakes on its rise.
Korean Air stifled their opponents with a solid defense that seemed to receive every ball that came their way, led by the duo of Jeong Jung-yong (14 points) and Lim Dong-hyuk (12 points).
They also dominated the front of the court with a 9-3 blocking advantage, completely tying up Samsung Fire’s hands and feet.
Korean Air’s strong serve broke down Samsung Fire’s defense, resulting in a huge gap in reception efficiency, which is the percentage of receptions that fall within a 1-meter radius of the setter, of 60.87% (Korean Air) and 25.76% (Samsung Fire).
Samsung Fire’s outside hitter Yosvani Hernandez (real name Yosvani) scored a team-high 14 points, but she also committed 12 errors and had a 37.93 percent attack success rate.
In the first set, Korean Air shut down the opponent’s main player, Yosubani.
Yosubani was completely shut down by Korean Air’s blocking, scoring just two points in the first set with an 11.11% attack success rate.
Korean Air cruised to a 25-20 victory in the first set, with Jeong Jung-yong scoring seven points alone and Kwak Seung-seok chipping in with four.
The second set was even easier.
Korean Air setter Han Sun-sun, who had mostly fed Jeong in the first set, switched to Im Dong-hyuk and Kwak Seung-seok in the second set.
Lim Dong-hyuk then raised the team’s spirits with a dig that saved the ball by following it to the scoreboard early in the second set.
Samsung Fire brought in Eddie Zargacha (real name Eddie) as Yosubani failed to find his groove in the second set, but it didn’t have much effect.
Korean Air pushed harder in the third set as Samsung Fire’s reception faltered.
Midway through the set, Samsung Fire’s Park Sung-jin and Kim Jung-ho’s offense came alive to tie the game, but Korean Air closed out the match with back-to-back kills from Jung Jeong-yong and Lim Dong-hyuk at 21-20.
In the women’s match at Gimcheon Gymnasium, home team Korea Expressway Corporation defeated Pepper Savings Bank with a set score of 3-1 (25-23 25-22 18-25 26-24).
With 9 points (2 wins, 6 losses), Korea Expressway Corporation leapfrogged IBK Sangsung Bank (3 wins, 5 losses – 8 points), which did not play on the day, into fifth place.
Pepper Savings Bank, with two wins, six losses and five points, remains at the bottom of the women’s division.
Roadworks foreign player Vanya Vukiric (registered name Vukiric) and Pepper Savings Bank’s Yasmin Bedardt (registered name Yasmin) combined for 29 points on the day.
Vukiric was a steady attacker with six kills, while Yasmin nearly had a triple-crown performance with 10 digs, three block assists and two service aces, but she also had 12 errors.
After taking the first two sets, the Roadrunners were unable to stop Yasmin’s 11-point run in the third set and dropped a set.
In the fourth set, they gave up the first set point at 23-24, but Bae Yoo-na’s timed attack, Jeon Sae-yan’s service ace, and Tanacha Sooksut (registered name Tanacha) scored three consecutive points to win the match. 스포츠토토