‘Second half blast’ KEPCO, 3rd place ‘Spring Volleyball’
Men’s professional volleyball KEPCO has taken a step towards ‘Spring Volleyball’.
KEPCO won with a set score of 3-0 (25-20 25-21 25-17) in the home game against Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance in the 6th round of the Dodram 2022-2023 V-League Men’s Division held at the Suwon Indoor Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do on the 26th.
With this, KEPCO recorded 47 points (15 wins, 16 losses) and pulled down Woori Card, which recently suffered a losing streak, and rose to third place. KEPCO, which suffered 9 consecutive losses in the first half and competed for ‘last place’, is running toward the postseason with a sensation in the second half.
On the other hand, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, the lowest ranked team, helplessly fell into a quagmire of four consecutive losses, making it difficult even to reap the ‘beauty of the past’.
KEPCO, which was in the lower ranks, and now
the first set of candidates for the confident’Spring Volleyball’, KEPCO laughed after a close battle. From the start of the game, the ‘Triangle Formation’ led by Thais less host (registered name Thais) – Seo Jae-deok – Lim Seong-jin scored in turn and took the lead. A tie was allowed in the pursuit of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, but it was not reversed.
KEPCO widened the gap with Thais’ pipe attack and Shin Young-seok’s blocking in the middle of the set. On the other hand, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance committed invisible mistakes such as giving away an opportunity to attack due to unstable receiving, and KEPCO eventually took the 1st set.
In the second set, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance counterattacked. Ahmed Iqbairi’s attack revived and overpowered the steamer. KEPCO concentrated its blocking on Ikbairi, and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance bypassed the opponent’s defense by distributing the ball to Kim Jeong-ho and Shin Shin-ho.
However, the defense of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance caught up. As they failed to block KEPCO’s attack, they failed to take advantage of the opportunity to escape. KEPCO, noticing the gap, increased the chance of attack with persistent dig, and finally succeeded in reversing and won the second set.
KEPCO, whose momentum has fully risen, overwhelms the third set. On the other hand, the players of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, who lost their will to fight, became heavy, and were often blocked by KEPCO. In the end, KEPCO won the third set generously, presenting a ‘shutout’ victory to the home crowd.
KEPCO’s ‘leading supporting actor’ libero Lee Ji-seok
KEPCO’s ‘fixer’ Tais led the victory with 22 points including 4 blocks. Lim Seong-jin energized the team with 13 points, and Seo Jae-deok played the role of a ‘housekeeper’ by connecting an uneasy toss with an attack and raising 9 points while defending. 안전놀이터
On the other hand, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance struggled with 16 points for Ikbairi, but could not break the losing streak as they could not shake off mistakes and defensive anxiety throughout the game.
The key to this game was how strong Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance could serve and how KEPCO could block it. This is because Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance revealed a stark difference in performance depending on the power of the serve this season.
KEPCO coach Kwon Young-min chose Lee Ji-seok, not Oh Jae-seong, as the starting Libero as a shield to block Samsung Fire & Marine’s serve. Lee Ji-seok showed off a stable receive and reciprocated his trust, and thanks to this setter Ha Seung-woo was able to comfortably try various attacks.
Lee Ji-seok, who was mainly a backup player after his professional debut, started as a starter in place of Oh Jae-seong, who suffered sluggishness in the semi-playoff against Woori Card last season.
On this day, attention is being paid to whether Lee Ji-seok, who proved his skills in an important way for KEPCO to spring volleyball, will further develop his presence.