The Woori Card men’s professional volleyball team completed its third three-game sweep of the season with a 3-1 victory over Korean Air. The victory puts them one step ahead in the tight race for first place in the men’s division.
Woori Card came from behind to defeat Korean Air in three sets to one (24-26 25-23 25-23 25-22) in the third round of the 2023-2024 Dodram V-League Men’s Division at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul on Sunday. Matei Kok (registered name Matei-199cm) was the top scorer with 25 points, while Kim Ji-han (194cm-19 points), 현금홀덤사이트 Lee Sang-hyun (200.6cm-11 points) and Han Sung-jung (194cm-10 points) helped the offense.
After the match, head coach Shin Young-cheol reflected, “The players responded well in sets two through four, which helped us win.” “From that point on, Matei and Kim Ji-han came alive,” Shin said, adding, “Setter Han Tae-joon (182 cm) had a good fastball toss, and Lee Sang-hyun, who replaced Otake Issei (registered name Issei-201 cm), did a good job to turn the tide.”
Woori Card has been unusually strong against defending champion Korean Air this season. They won all three games against Korean Air in the first through third rounds, and are unbeaten at home in their last five games against Korean Air. “We have a lot of young players, so if we lose, they might lose a lot of confidence, but this gives them confidence,” Shin said.
Middle blocker Lee Sang-hyun especially shined. Lee started the match on the bench, losing her starting spot to Issei, but came off the bench to put up 10 points, including three blocks.
Coach Shin was very pleased with her performance. “She listens to me well these days,” Shin said, adding that she showed her old habits when she kept swinging after being injured.
“Rhythm is very important in volleyball. If you just do it with power, it’s not very precise,” he said, adding, “I try to coach him a lot on that.” The Woori Card, who have gained the upper hand in the mid-season title race, will look to make it four straight wins when they host Samsung Fire on Nov. 12.