Heungkuk Life Insurance beat Jeong Kwan-jang to set a 100% chance

Women's professional volleyball Heungkuk Life Insurance came from behind to beat set score 3-1 (22-25 25-13 25-23 25-23) in the first round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League postseason playoff at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 22nd.

Heungkuk Life Insurance recorded 79 points (28 wins and eight losses) in the regular season league, ranking second. It missed the top spot by a one-point gap. It aims to advance to the championship game and win the title again this year. It ranked first in the league last season, but suffered a reverse sweep after losing two consecutive games to Korea Expressway Corporation. To dispel regret, it needs to win the ticket to the championship first. Fortunately, it made a good start.

Making a come-from-behind victory in the second half of the third set was critical. He secured 100 percent chance by winning the first round. In the 17 women's playoffs, all the winning teams in the first round advanced to the championship.

The team overwhelmingly dominated the game with 8-1 on Sunday's serve. The team also led the game with 42.30 percent to 39.35 percent in attack success rate. Willow Johnson (registered name Willow) scored 25 points including four serves (46.67 percent in attack success rate), and Kim Yeon-koung combined one block and one serve to score 23 points (40.38 percent in attack success rate). Raina Tokoku (registered name Raina) added 18 points (attack success rate 39.53 percent) by adding one block.

Chung finished third in the league with 61 points (20 wins and 16 losses) and went straight to the playoffs. It is the first time in seven seasons that he has played volleyball in the spring. However, he managed to overcome bitterness in the first game.

Giovanna Milana (registered name Jia) added one more block, and struggled with 31 points (46.88 percent attack success rate), the most in both teams. Megawatt Puttywi (registered name Mega) added two blocks and one serve, and scored 20 points (30.91 percent attack success rate).

Park Hye-min started the match instead of Lee, who had to leave the team due to ankle injury, but ended up with three points (attack success rate 18.18 percent). Jung Ho-young, who was supposed to be in charge of the final axis of the triangle formation, felt abnormalities in his leg in the latter half of the third set and was out of the match. He left eight points (70 percent attack success rate).

Jeong Kwan-jang was afraid of losing ground. He reversed his inferiority by six points. Jia led the pack with nine points (56.25 percent attack success rate), while Mega supported it with seven points (37.5 percent attack success rate). For Heungkuk Life Insurance, Kim Yeon-koung scored six points, the most in her team (31.25 percent attack success rate), but her attack accuracy was regrettable.

Heungkuk Life Insurance made a 9-5 run with Jia's misfire in offense, Kim Yeon-koung's quick opening, Lee Won-jeong's opening, and Lee Ju-ah's serve aces. Kim Soo-ji's quick attack and Mega's attack out made it 11-6. Jeong Gwan-jang, who was trailing 9-15, chased down to 13-15 with Jeong Ho-young's quick attack, Mega's opening, and consecutive mistakes by Willow and Kim Yeon-koung.

Jeong Gwan-jang followed with Jia's back-up attack, Mega's serve-ace, and Jia's back-up attack at 13-17. The opponent Kim Yeon-koung's attack out, Jia's quick opening, and Park Eun-jin's blocking turned the score around 20-18. Jia's opening and opponent Kim Yeon-koung's attack out widened the gap by 22-19. Jia's time difference dominated the set point. Mega finished with the opening.

Heungkuk Life Insurance overwhelmed its serve 5-0. The attack success rate was also 56 percent-37.04 percent, showing a big gap. She easily recovered one set. Kim Yeon-koung scored seven points (66.67 percent in attack success rate) and Raina scored five points (71.43 percent in attack success rate). Jeong Kwan-jang struggled, with Mega scoring only three points (33.33 percent in attack success rate).

Heungkuk Life Insurance, which had a slight lead in the beginning, made it 8-5 with Kim Yeon-koung's consecutive openings. Since then, Kim Yeon-koung has scored 10-6 with multiple openers. Kim Yeon-koung's serve-ace, opponent Jia's attack-out, and Reina's opening widened the score to 14-7. Reina's quick opening gave her a 16-8 double score.

After that, Willow's opening and third consecutive serve a 20-9 wedge. Willow shook his opponent with another serve and Lee Won-jung finished with an open, making it 21-9. Heungkuk Life Insurance brought a 24-13 set point with Kim Yeon-koung's time difference and Lee Joo-ah's serve aces. Opponent Park Eun-jin's attack out completed the 25th point.

Heungkuk Life Insurance has revived at the brink of a cliff. It came from behind to win the game at 16-22. Willow scored 10 points (60% attack success rate). Jeong Kwan-jang swallowed up regret by missing out on set win despite Jia's 10 points (52.63 percent attack success rate).

The first team to go ahead was Heungkuk Life Insurance. Raina's Open and Willow's serve-ace scored 5-3. Jeong Kwan-jang quickly turned the tables on Jia's consecutive Opens and Jeong Ho-young's Open. Jia's time difference, Park Hye-min's blocking made it 10-7.

He then widened the gap to 17-11 by 13-11 with Kim Soo-ji's poor serve, Jia's time difference and two quick openings. Heungkuk Life Insurance, which was trailing 12-18, trailed 15-18 due to Mega's attack out, Lee Ju-ah's block, and Jia's attack out. Then, Jeonggwanjang also ran away with 20-15 due to Jia's quick opening and Mega's opening. Jia's quick opening and Jung Ho-young's block made it 22-16.

Heungkuk Life did not back down. With the opening of Kim Yeon-koung and Willow, the opponent team Mega's attack out, and Kim Su-ji's blocking, the team chased after the game 20-22. There were variables in the Jeonggwanjang. At the rally after the game 22-17, Jeong Ho-young limped off and called for a time to maneuver, and instead of Jeong Ho-young, he deployed Han Song-yi.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Heungkuk Life struck a balance of 23-23 with Kim Yeon-koung and Willow's opening and Raina's blocking. Willow's opening took 24-23 set points. After a long rally, Willow burst the opening, making 25-23 with a reversal.

Kim Yeon-koung and Willow accumulated seven points apiece to join hands with the goddess of victory. Jeong Kwan-jang started Han Song-yi instead of Jung Ho-young. Jia scored 10 points (45% attack success rate), but it was overshadowed by the team's defeat.

The tug-of-war was tight. Neither team ran away from far away. As Heungkuk Life Insurance made a 4-3 run with Lee Won-jung's serve-Ace and Kim Su-ji's blockings, Jeonggwanjang also made a 7-6 response with Jia's back attack, Park Eun-jin's quick attack, and Han Song-yi's blockings.

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