SEOUL (Yonhap) By Jang Hyun-koo Reporter = Defending champion GS Caltex has gotten off to a flying start in its quest for a second consecutive professional volleyball tournament title.GS Caltex swept invitee Thailand Supreme Chonburi 3-0 (25-22 25-22 25-18) in straight sets in the first match of the women’s Group B of the 2023 Gumi Dodram Cup Professional Volleyball Tournament at Park Jung-hee Gymnasium in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, on Tuesday.Moon Ji-yoon impressed with 19 points, including four blocks, while Kang So-hwi (15 points) and Kwon Min-ji (14 points) formed a trio to lead the scoring.GS Caltex took an 8-2 lead in interceptions to set the stage for the victory.Supreme Chonburi, who joined the Japanese Panasonic Panthers in the men’s competition as an invitee, is a three-time Thai League champion.Although they lost on the 온라인카지노 day, they showed off their solid organization and wide-open court vision to showcase the strength of Thai women’s volleyball.GS Caltex battled back and forth with Supreme Chonburi, utilizing their fast-paced offense and unstoppable serve, before pulling away with a decisive win after 20 points in sets one and two.After taking a 23-22 lead in the first set with a diagonal open slam from Kang So-hwi and an end-of-court ace from Han Soo-jin, GS Caltex took control in the second set with back-to-back open scores from Moon Ji-yoon and Kang So-hwi to win the set point and the final point.Utilizing their height advantage over Supreme Chonburi, GS Caltex took advantage of an interception by Moon Ji-yoon, an open point by Kang So-hwi, a fastball by Oh Se-yeon, and back-to-back open strikes by Kwon Min-ji at the beginning of the third set to take a 13-8 lead and end the match in three sets.In the other Group B match that followed, IBK Sangsung Bank earned its first win of the season with a comfortable 3-0 (25-16 25-21 25-15) set win over Heungkuk Saengsim.Hwang Min-kyung, who joined IBK as a free agent after leaving Hyundai E&C last season, led the way with a team-high 17 points. Pyo Seung-ju added 14 points.IBK led Heungkuk Saengsaeng 9-3 in blocking and 5-0 in service points. Heungkuk Sinsang’s Kim Yeon-kyung stayed in the warm-up zone to watch the game.In the previous day’s opening match, Hyundai E&C and Korea Expressway Corporation won side-by-side in Group A.