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| 우리카드 알리. Photo courtesy =KOVO |
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| Our card captain Ahi. Photo courtesy =KOVO |
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| Woori Card Kim Jihan. Photo courtesy =KOVO |
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Foreign player recognized for their quality - Asian quarter's double gun, and powerful blocking to stop them.
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Woori Card's similar blood fight heated up the field. The winner was Woori Card, where Ali slotted in four consecutive serve aces in the final set 9-9.
Woori Card won the set score 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12) in the first round of the V-League at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon on the 3rd.
With the victory, Woori Card won its second win (two losses) of the season and gained six points, ranking fourth, two points behind third-place Korean Air (8 points). On the other hand, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance fell to three consecutive losses (1 win, 3 losses, 4 points) after winning the opening game against KB Insurance.
Mauricio Paes, manager of Woori Card, met before the game, said "We have to play boldly with risks."," he stressed. However, "The time when the crime comes out is important. In the fourth set of the KEPCO match, the opponent made seven mistakes and we made three, but we lost. Volleyball can lose 23-25 with just one mistake per set. You have to be patient at important times" he explained.
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| Director Paes Woori Card. Photo courtesy =KOVO |
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"We prepared a lot focusing on blocking preparation," Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance coach Kim Sang-woo said, recalling the last Korean Air match, which was swayed by Yoo Kwang-woo's tosswork. Regarding Grozdanov's thumb injury, he said, "Not 100%, but yesterday, I saw that my physical condition improved. The power to hit the ball has definitely changed," he stressed.
A match between two teams that literally ran into the river. Woori Card's winning formula is for Kim Ji-han to boost his momentum in the Ahi-Ali double gun, and Lee Sang-hyun to take control of the net. In Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Kim Jung-ho will support the double gun of Grosdanov and Fazley, and Kim Jun-woo in the center will help.
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| WooriCard Jinwoo-Ahhi. Photo courtesy =KOVO |
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In the first set, both teams are struggling to block each other. Woori Card Ali was blocked four times only by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's Paisley in the first set. On the other hand, Woori Card's Lee Sang-hyun and Park Jin-woo played an active role in quick attack and blocking in the center. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance won as Woori Card's mistakes accumulated in the second half of the set. Woori Card Ahi made five mistakes in the first set alone.
The second set is Woori Card's counterattack. It started off well with Han Tae-joon's serve ace, and Lee Sang-hyun and Ahi took control of the net. Woori Card, which continued its lead by two to three points, brought the game to square one as the opponent's serve mistake and Ali's serve ace intersected at 18-20, and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's Kim Jung-ho's bold second-tier attack went off the line.
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| Woori Card Han Tae-jun's dig. Photo courtesy =KOVO |
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In the third set, the battle continued, but Woori Card's power was stronger in the second half of the set. Woori Card, which also took the lead in the early stages, allowed Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance to come from behind 15-16 in the middle of the set with Kim Jung-ho's strong serve. There were also video readings that narrowly raised the opponent's hand. However, following the opponent's consecutive mistakes at the end of the set, Ahi and Lee Sang-hyun blocked Samsung Grosdanov one after another and won even the third set.
But the game didn't end easily. Woori Card led 10-7 in the fourth set and allowed a 13-13 tie before continuing its struggle until 19-19, but struggled due to Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's reversal card Yang Soo-hyun and Kim Woo-jin. It followed up to 23-24, but gave Paisley the final score, eventually leading to the final.
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| Woori card players cheering around Ali (center). Photo courtesy =KOVO |
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The last set was literally a mental battle. Both teams looked exhausted, and only momentum and evil were left. The ace of Paisley and Ali played a real match in the Asian quarter.
Woori Card started with Ali's serve ace and gained momentum with Kim Woo-jin's block. However, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance also followed with Ali's serve mistake and Fazley's blocking. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance excluded Grosdanov and operated Kim Jung-ho and Kim Woo-jin's outside heater with Fazli as the main gun. Our card was played by Ahi as it was, but we put weight on Ali's side.
Ali's serve ace march, which started at 9-9, sealed the match. Ali bombed Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's court with four consecutive serve aces, and at 12-14, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's Park Joon-seo's last serve was caught in the net, ending the 2 hours and 40 minutes of blood fight.
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| 사진제공=KOVO |
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Perhaps due to the Asian quarter system, the V-League is also experiencing a decrease in the number of 'all-out volleyball'. On this day, Woori Card was led by Ali (21 points), who hit as many as seven serve aces. Five out of seven came in the fifth set. Ah-hee (20 points), Lee Sang-hyun (14 points and 5 blocks), Kim Ji-han (12 points) and Park Jin-woo (10 points and 6 blocks) played even.
In Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Fazli (21 points, 5 blocks), Grosdanov (16 points), Kim Jung-ho (14 points), and Kim Jun-woo (10 points, 5 blocks) also gained strength, but it was not enough to turn the game around.
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
