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The dignity of the defending champion shone brilliantly. The watertight organization was overwhelming.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction won the women's volleyball final of the 2024 Tongyeong Dodram Cup (KOVO Cup) held at Tongyeong Gymnasium in South Gyeongsang Province on the 6th by beating Jeong Kwan-jang by a set score of 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-14, 25-18).
Hyundai E&C held its fifth KOVO Cup in its arms. It's been three years since 2021. Coach Kang Sung-hyung solved his long-cherished desire to win last year's championship and gave Hyundai Engineering & Construction its first cup championship in three years. Jeong Kwan-jang swallowed the anger at the threshold of his first championship challenge in six years since 2018.
Both teams are playing their fifth game this week alone. Hyundai Engineering & Construction dominated the articles of association by making full use of its superior physical strength. This is because he rested by winning a shutdown victory in the semi-final against IBK Industrial Bank of Korea held the previous day. On the other hand, Jeong Kwan-jang played three full-set games, including the semi-final against GS Caltex the day before.
The two teams look alike. Yang Hyo-jin, Lee Da-hyun, Jung Ho-young, and Park Eun-jin's central middle blockers stand out with Kim Da-in and Yeom Hye-sun competing for the best in the league.
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However, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, the defending champion, preserved its winning record last season, from key players such as Yang Hyo-jin, Lee Da-hyun, Jeong Ji-yoon, and Kim Da-in to foreign players Moma-Wipawi. Without relying on Moma-Yang Hyo-jin, Jeong Ji-yoon, Lee Da-hyun, and Wi Pawi, who are praised for "the ball does not fall to the ground", attacks that could not predict the solver were repeated at each crisis.
On the other hand, Jeong Kwan-jang maintained the team composition itself, which was ranked third last season, but during the off-season, he changed his position by replacing foreign players with Bukirich and changing positions to outside heaters. Bukirich adapted well to the new position enough to be praised as a 'Volleyball Genius', but in the game, he failed to cope with Hyundai Engineering & Construction's sharp serve, which penetrated the weaknesses of the receiving line one after another, such as Pyo Seung-joo, Bukirich, and Lee Sun-woo.
In particular, he struggled to use various attack routes by Hyundai E&C, and missed the flow by himself due to regrettable errors at every crisis. Veteran Yeom Hye-sun led the team with an exquisite pass, but it was not enough. Hyundai Engineering & Construction took the lead in the detail of the offense and defense.
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Hyundai Engineering & Construction suffered an unexpected blow in the first set. He led 8-3, 11-6 at the beginning of the set, but allowed his first 18-19 turnaround to the fierce chase of Jeong Kwan-jang with Bukirich at the forefront. Jeong Kwan-jang won the first set by reversing the game with a weight class advantage with Mega and Bukirich.
However, Hyundai Engineering & Construction's strengths were clearly revealed from the second set. With Wi Pa-wi, Kim Yeon-gyeon, and Kim Da-in at the center, their unique defensive organization was shown to block the opponent's offensive course, and their blocking height was revived by shaking the opponent's receiving with serve. In the first half of the second set, Wi Pa-wi and Jung Ji-yoon led the team in the second half, changing the atmosphere.
The third set was also taken by Hyundai Engineering & Construction. He persistently accepted the opponent's attacks and succeeded in attacks that Moma, Jung Ji-yoon, and Yang Hyo-jin knew but could not prevent, quickly widening the gap to 8-7, 16-10, and 23-13.
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Hyundai E&C finished the game by winning even the fourth set. It overwhelmed the articles of association by showing the difference in force in offense and defense. After leading 8-3 at the beginning of the set, he was chased by Jeong Kwan-jang by one point, but he finished the game after leading 18-12 and 20-13 again with the performance of his opponent's mistakes and troubleshooter Moma.
As many as five players, including Moma (19 points), Jung Ji-yoon (17 points), Yang Hyo-jin (14 points), Wipawi (11 points) and Lee Da-hyun (10 points), showed off their even distribution of attacks, scoring double-digit points. He proved to be the strongest player this season as well.
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
