Heungkuk Life extended its winning streak to eight games with the help of “Fixer” Kim Yeon-kyung.
Heungkuk Life defeated Pepper Savings Bank 3-2 (25-10 20-25 25-22 22-25 17-15) in a full-set thriller in the women’s visiting match of the Professional Volleyball Dodram 2023-2024 V League at Gwangju Pepper Stadium on Monday.
With the win, Heungkuk Life extended its winning streak to eight matches with a second round sweep (6 wins) and became the first team in the V-League to reach the 30-point plateau this season (11-1).
The gap to second-place Hyundai E&C (26-8 W-L) is four points.
On the day, Kim scored 25 points on a 53.66% attack percentage.
Yelena Mrazenovic (real name Yelena) scored more points (34), but her offensive success rate was 38.75%. That means Kim played a bigger role.
Pepper Savings Bank’s Yasmin Bedardt also chipped in with 34 points (46.38% attack success rate), but it wasn’t enough to stop her team’s fifth straight loss.
Kim Yeon-kyung scored three points in the first set and three in the second.
In crunch time, Kim’s attacking percentage increased, and she showed off her solver skills.
Heungkuk Life pulled within one point at 11-14 in the third set with a quick opener from Yelena.
In the ensuing rally, Kim blocked an open attack from Pepper Savings Bank’s main gun Yasmin.
Kim tied the game at 13-14 with an open attack, then finished the rally with a quick open to take a 15-14 lead.
Kim’s performance helped Heungkuk Life turn the tide, and at 23-22, Yelena’s open attack created set point, but Kim Mi-yeon blocked Yasmin’s follow-up attack to end the second set.
Kim scored nine points in the third set.
Last-place (7th) Pepper Savings Bank was also determined to end its four-game losing streak.
With Yasmin’s firepower and Ha Hye-jin’s blocking, Pepper Savings Bank won the fourth set and pushed the match to a fifth set.
In the fifth set, it was Kim Yeon-kyung who shone the brightest.
With a service ace at 3-3, Kim became the 16th player in the history of the V-League Women’s Division to reach 200 service aces.
At 9-8, Kim scored a quick opener, and at 10-9, she added to her points with a quick opener aimed at the diagonal.
However, Pepper Savings Bank made it a deuce at 12-14 with a late attack by Yasmin and a block by Ha Hye-jin, and Park Jung-ah also had a block to make it 15-14.
Heungkuk Life was backed into a corner, and it was ‘Kim Yeon-kyung’s time’ again.
Heungkuk Life tied the score at 15-15 with a kill from Yelena.
After Yasmin’s follow-up attack was picked up by Kim Dassol, Kim slammed home an open attack.
Kim closed out the match with a quick opener at 16-15.
In the men’s match at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon, Samsung Fire defeated Hyundai Capital in straight sets 3-2 (25-22 21-25 22-25 25-21 15-11).
With the two points, Samsung Chemical moves to third place (21-8, 4-4). They have the same number of wins and losses as fourth-place OK Financial Group (21-8, 4-4), but Samsung Chemical has a better set point percentage of 1.500 to OK Financial Group’s 1.143.
Sixth-ranked Hyundai Capital suffered its fifth straight loss.
Samsung Fire scored at the start of the fifth set when Kim Jun-woo blocked a timed attack by Hyundai Capital’s Jeon Kwang-in, and then took another step forward when Jeon Kwang-in made an attack error.
Hyundai Capital made up one point with a late attack from Ahmed Iqbairi (registered name Ahmed), but Samsung Fire extended its lead to 5-1 with a fastball from Kim Jun-woo, an attack error from opponent Cai Peiqiang (registered name Peiqiang), and a blocked goal from Kim Woo-jin.
Yosvani Hernandez (Yosvani) led the Samsung Fire offense with a team-high 38 points. 토토