“I told Leo to raise a lot, but I think I raised too much”
OK Financial Group defeated Korea Electric Power 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20) in straight sets in the sixth round of the Dodram V-League Men’s Division of the 2023-24 season at Suwon Indoor Gymnasium on Sunday.
With the three points, OK Financial Group improved its overall record to 55 points and opened the door to spring volleyball for the first time in three seasons since the 20-21 season.
Under Ogino, OK Financial Group won its first cup title at the 2023 Gumi Dodram Cup, marking its first foray into spring volleyball.
Leo, who was playing spring volleyball for the first time since coming to Ansan, was a bomber on the day. Leo exploded for a total of 45 points (57.97% attack percentage) and stood tall as a pillar of victory.
Head coach Ogino MASSAGE also recognized Leo as the key to the match from the start.
“It was a battle from the beginning,” he said after the match, referring to Leo’s incredibly high attack percentage (66.67%), “I ordered (the setter) to raise him a lot. But I think he did it more than I thought,” he said, eliciting a laugh.
Leo’s performance was explosive, but she was also a bit shaky in her defense and attack coverage in the first half of the match, facing several close calls. “I don’t think you can do everything well,” Ogino said, “I think the main thing we focused on today was defending the paint, and I think we missed one or two. I don’t think our attack cover was very good, but we had some digs in the second half, so we had a plus-minus zero match.”
Now that Leo’s strong performance has sent the team into spring volleyball, the team is focusing on distributing the ball to Shin again in their next game against Korean Air on Tuesday to help her get more of the ball and keep her senses alive.
“It was an important game, so we decided 사설토토 to give Leo the ball, but there were a few misses as fewer balls went to Shin,” Ogino said. In the next game, we will increase his share of the ball.”
Now, Ogino will give his players a well-deserved rest before heading into the postseason.
“I honestly didn’t expect to win this much,” he said, “but I told the players that I wanted them to enjoy where we are and play volleyball. We tried to make sure that we play OK Financial Group’s own volleyball, and the players’ consciousness has changed a lot. I also feel that we are changing as a team. Rather than being coached, the players are trying to create their own system, offense, etc. and have a mindset to grow. I am grateful to the players and coaching staff.”
Meanwhile, OK Financial Group will meet Korean Air on May 10 at its home stadium, Ansan Sangroksu Gymnasium.