Korea Electric Power Corp. won a set score of 3-1 (25-22 18-25 25-22 25-22 25-22 25-20) against KB Insurance in a men’s away game in the 2023-2024 V-League professional volleyball Dodram at Uijeongbu Gymnasium in Gyeonggi Province on the 17th.
However, Korea Electric Power Corp. failed to advance to the postseason as its fifth place was confirmed, and KEPCO did not enjoy the joy of victory. KB Insurance, which was already ranked the lowest, also left the game in a lonesome manner after losing the final match.
Victory and defeat, a very meaningless final match
Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) took the lead by blocking an iron wall from the first set. Park Chan-woong and Ha Seung-woo blocked Hwang Kyung-min’s quick opening one after another, and Tice the Host (registered name: Tice) blocked Andres Villena’s rearward attack.
KB Insurance tried to make changes by excluding Hwang Kyung-min and putting Hong Sang-hyuk in, but the flow of the game did not change and KEPCO took the first set.
The second set was different. KB Insurance took the lead thanks to KEPCO’s mistake. KEPCO succeeded in turning the tables as its exclusion of Seo Jae-deok and Park Chul-woo worked, but KB Insurance also countered with Villena’s consecutive points.
Korea Electric Power Corp. also stuck to it, but the mistake was held back. Park Chan-woong’s net touch and Tice’s serve error came out, giving up the second set to KB Insurance.
However, nothing unexpected happened. Korea Electric Power Corporation, which launched counterattack again, revived a triangle formation led by Thais, Seo Jae-deok, and Lim Sung-jin. Shin Young-seok blocked the ball, winning the third set and taking the lead again.
The fourth set was easier. Korea Electric Power Corp. scored three consecutive goals from the start. KB Insurance started to chase after Villena through her stellar performance, but failed to make any difference in the final match due to the lack of support from the Korean players.
Na Kyung-bok – Hwang Taek’s Return… Why I’m looking forward to next year
KB Insurance’s slump in this season was expected to some extent. It recruited Na Kyung-bok, a big hitter for the Korean national team, as a free agent, but immediately joined the army. When Hwang Taek-yi, the main setter, joined the army, he lost two key players.
However, KB Insurance did not give up. It entered the spring competition by giving up Han Sung-jung and recruiting setter Hwang Seung-bin.
The result was a failure. Middle blocker Park Jin-woo left as Na Kyung-bok’s compensation player, creating a big hole in the center, and Hwang Seung-bin did not perform as well as expected. Eventually, KB Insurance fell to the bottom, and Coach Hu In-jeong stepped down on her own due to consecutive losses.
Acting head coach Kim Hak-min took over the baton, but there was no reversal, and KB Insurance ended the season with “last place.”
However, he also had income. As competition in the rankings became meaningless, Yoon Seo-jin, a rookie who joined the team this season, had a chance. Yoon Seo-jin, who was active as national under-19 team captain last year, impressed people by his bold attack.
In addition, Koreans who turned into middle blockers also found possibilities as they performed better than expected. It would have been nice if they had given up competition earlier and found more players through bold recruitment, but it is only a result theory, and regret is useless.
Attention is focusing on whether KB Insurance, which will bring back Na Kyung-bok and Hwang Taek-ui, and add potential newcomers, will show a different performance next season. 토토