GS Caltex head coach Cha Sang-hyun is struggling with the setter position.
GS Caltex lost to IBK IBK in three sets (24-26 28-26 21-25 20-25) in the third round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Women’s Division at Hwaseong Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
GS Caltex (22 points) fell into a two-game losing streak, putting a red light on third-place Soosung. Without a win, the gap between them and fourth-place IBK has narrowed to three points. Silva scored 31 points, but his offensive success rate was rather low at 39.19% and he committed 11 errors. Kang So-hwi (18 points) and Yoo Seo-yeon (16 points) did their part, but it wasn’t enough.
After the match, Cha said, “I can’t say that (Silva) is in a normal body,” adding, “It sounds like an excuse, but he’s been preparing too hard. You have to admit what you have to admit and work on what you have to work on. That’s the situation.”
As Kim Ji-won, who was selected as the main setter for the match, struggled, Cha brought in rookie Lee Yoon-shin early in the second set to keep the match close.
“In the end, (Kim) Ji-won needs to settle down quickly so that we can play together overall. However, it kept moving towards Silva, and he was hitting about 70% of the time with two-blocking. When a striker feels that much, it’s a burden. It’s something we have to think about until the end of the season.”
In a recent interview, Kim Ji-won revealed that she has a habit of making her tosses visible to the opponent, which she is trying to fix.
In this regard, Coach Cha said, “I’m going too much in one motion. Whether it’s a reception or not, I’m not prepared for the opponent’s fastball at all, so I switched to (Lee) Yoon-shin,” he said, noting that “Lee Yoon-shin made a few fastballs there, and the atmosphere was raised, but in the end, you have to feel it.”
Lee Yoon-shin is a rookie who joined GS Caltex as the fourth pick of the first round this season. He’s only been with the team for three months, but he’s quickly earned his opportunity.
When asked about Yoon’s short toss, Cha defended it by saying, “To exaggerate a bit, it’s perfect by today’s standards.” “How nervous would a friend who is in her third year of high school be, and at that level, senior sisters need to pull her up and help her,” Cha said, adding, “Even (Kim’s) support is not perfect. There is no other setter who can perfectly match the attacker’s taste.”
Cha also said, “I’m thinking about starting Lee Yoon-shin. Even though we lost today, our ranking hasn’t changed yet. We have to think about it. It’s something we need to discuss with the coaching staff.”