Ali's 28-point blast Woori Card won in desperation! Win after a full set with KEPCO

Jan 14, 2025

Ali's 28-point blast Woori Card won in desperation! Win after a full set with KEPCO
Our card players are happy after scoring. Photo =KOVO



Two teams without foreign guns. It was a real match at a time when the points were desperate.

Woori Card won the set score 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 23-25, 25-15, 15-12) against KEPCO in the fourth round of the 2024-2025 V-League at Suwon Indoor Gymnasium on the 14th.

With the victory, Woori Card prevented consecutive losses and added two points. He rose to fourth place with 10 wins and 10 losses and 26 points. On the other hand, KEPCO failed to break the losing streak and lost three consecutive games. I had to settle for one more point. 8 wins, 12 losses and 20 points.




Before the game, Woori Card ranked fifth and Korea Electric Power Corp. ranked sixth. Furthermore, they were also teams suffering from comorbidities because foreign players were missing due to injuries.

Woori Card's Nikolic was out of power due to an abdominal injury, and he was also unable to play on the day. Woori Card coach Mauricio Paes said in an interview before the game, `I think we can set the timing of our return sooner than expected. Recovery is fast. I'm not sure yet, but I think it could be the next game or the next one at the earliest"He said he could not play in the game on this day. Nicolich's speedy recovery is good news. Manager Paes said, `I think he's recovering fast, maybe because he's young," he said with a light smile.

Ali's 28-point blast Woori Card won in desperation! Win after a full set with KEPCO
Director Mauricio Paes. Photo =KOVO
Regarding the match, "It will be a stressful game because both teams are desperate for points and victory.", and in fact, it was a tight race.




The situation is the same for KEPCO. Korea Electric Power Corp. is also out of power due to Mateusz's abdominal injury. KEPCO had a good early atmosphere with its opening five consecutive wins, but Elian, who was very active, left the team in vain with a knee injury and now Matheus is also injured. Head coach Kwon Young-min expressed regret, saying, `As foreign players have not been able to gain strength due to line injuries from the second round, Korean players are doing their best, but they are a little tired.'

In both teams, key foreign players are missing due to injuries, so they have to fight around domestic players. The game was as tight as the head coach expected.

Woori Card laughed in the first set. At the beginning of the game, KEPCO took the lead for a while with Shin Young-seok's blocking, but Woori Card took the atmosphere by overwhelming the attack, scoring eight consecutive points. Woori Card, which had Ali's serve ace in a row, easily won the first set.




Ali's 28-point blast Woori Card won in desperation! Win after a full set with KEPCO
사진=KOVO
The atmosphere was different in the second set. Korea Electric Power Corp. scored six points as Koo Kyo-hyuk was active in the back, and Lim Sung-jin, Seo Jae-deok, Jeon Jin-seon and Yamato scored blocking points at every important moment, blocking the opponent's attack.

Set score 1-1, three sets. In the midst of a close tie, KEPCO's blocking shone once again. Woori Card struggled with its receiving shaking. Korea Electric Power Corporation, which was leading by 21-18 and 3 points due to Woori Card's consecutive mistakes, quickly tied the score 22-22 as Woori Card succeeded in four consecutive points through attack and blocking.

The game is back to square one. Korea Electric Power Corp. quickly reached the set score, with Lim Sung-jin blocking Ali's attack from the front line following Koo Kyo-hyuk's time difference attack. The winning shot went off the forward line's hand. Defending Kim Ji-han's attack, KEPCO took the third set.

Ali's 28-point blast Woori Card won in desperation! Win after a full set with KEPCO
사진=KOVO
In the fourth set, Korea Electric Power Corporation recorded a series of serve mistakes, and Woori Card took the lead. In a situation where he couldn't catch up, Ali caught KEPCO off guard by hitting a fastball during the second consecutive ball connection. Woori Card ran away by five points in an instant.

The game ended up in five sets. Woori Card, with Ali and Lee Kang-won's open score at the forefront, led 4-2 while KEPCO was shaking. Korea Electric Power Corp. immediately followed suit.

Since then, there has been a thin ice tie. In the midst of a neck-and-neck race from 6-6 to 7-7 again to 8-8, Woori Card maintained the lead until the end with its opponent's mistakes. Match point made by Kim Ji-han's successful quick opening. With KEPCO's serve mistake, the game ended with Woori Card's victory.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.