A star player’s injury hurts more than a loss.
Jung Kwan-jang lost the first round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League postseason playoffs against Heungkuk Life 1-3 (22-25 25-13 23-25 23-25) at the Incheon Samsan Gymnasium on April 22.
They were unable to continue their momentum from the regular season. The team had won seven straight matches, except for their last two matches after clinching the playoffs. Before the game, head coach Ko Hee-jin said, “There is such a thing as momentum. When young players catch fire, it’s scary. I think we can do well if the harmony between the young players and the veterans, such as Yeom Hye-sun, Han Song-i, and Nolan, who have played big matches, works well.” However, 스포츠토토사이트 the team suffered a bitter defeat.
After the game, Ko said, “The players executed what they prepared and did well. It’s a shame that we couldn’t make one or two decisions. We made a mistake at a crucial moment. We made a connection error, which we prepared for the most. The offense can be like that, but the connection was confident because we trained a lot. It’s a shame that we made a mistake in that area. The players did a good job.”
The team will look for revenge in the second leg at home on April 24. “I don’t think it’s a difference in psychology or experience. We just didn’t play well. We can come to Incheon after winning the next match.”
The injury status of middle blocker Jung Ho-young is a key factor. At 22-18 in the third set, Jung Ho-young was forced to leave the match due to injury. Coach Ko said, “I’m worried about Jung Ho-young’s condition. We need to check it out. It looks like it’s his knee,” he said, adding, “We’ll do a good job of preparing him to come back to Incheon.”
A club official said, “There was an impact on his knee, so we have to wait and see.
