Incheon Heungkuk Life closed the gap on the leaders behind the onslaught of ‘signature’ Kim Yeon-kyung.
Heungkuk Life defeated Gwangju Pepper Savings Bank 3-1 (23-25 27-25 25-16 25-22) in the women’s Dodram 2023-2024 V League on Sunday at Gwangju Pepper Stadium. With the win, second-place Heungkuk Life moved to within three points of leader Suwon Hyundai E&C. Pepper Savings Bank, on the other hand, fell into the depths of a 14-game losing streak.
Kim Yeon-kyung led the offense with 27 points, while Yelena Mrazenovic 안전 토토사이트 chipped in with 20 points.
In the first set, Pepper Savings Bank had the first laugh after a hard-fought battle. At 11-11, Heungkuk Life made back-to-back errors by Kim Yeon-kyung to give Pepper Savings Bank the lead. With the score at 20-16, Pepper Savings Bank’s attacks were blocked by Yasmin Bedardt (registered name Yasmin) and Park Jung-ah scored on her own serve.
Heungkuk Life fought back to get to 23-24, but Pepper Savings conceded set point on a strong spike by Lee Han-bi.
In the second set, Heungkuk Life took the lead with a focused effort that overcame an eight-point deficit.
At 14-22, Kim Yeon-kyung scored seven consecutive points to change the momentum. After a seesaw game that led to a deuce, Yelena scored on her serve to complete the upset.
The third set also belonged to Heungkuk Life. Leading 18-13, Heungkuk Life went on the run with Kim Yeon-kyung’s hard hitting and Lee Ju-ah’s mobile attack, and on set point, Kim Soo-ji blocked Yasmin’s ball to add another set.
Heungkuk Life completely changed the tide and ended the match in the fourth set. Kim Yeon-kyung clinched the match with a 70% attack success rate.
Heungkuk Life’s Reina, the MVP of the match, said, “I didn’t play well in the first set because I was blocked a lot. I was in tears because I felt sorry for my team. I wasn’t very decisive, so I worked hard to defend from behind so that Kim Yeon-kyung and Yelena could play well. I want to share the joy of the victory with the fans,” she said.
Meanwhile, in the men’s traditional rivalry matchup at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon, Cheonan Hyundai Capital defeated Daejeon Samsung Fire 3-1 (22-25 25-23 25-23 25-18). Ahmed led the way with 30 points, while Choi Min-ho shined with 10 points, including four blocks.
With the win, Hyundai Capital jumped from sixth to fourth place in the league with a 9-13 record (31 points). Samsung Fire (14-7, 38 points) blew a chance to close the gap on first-place Woori Card (42 points).