Will Cesar's captain Park Jeong-ah (Pepper Savings Bank) be able to show performance worthy of the V-League salary queen in the must-win game against China?
The Korean women's volleyball team, led by coach Cesar Hernández González, will play against China in the quarterfinals of Group E of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games at the gymnasium of Changqian Campus, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, at 7 p.m. (local time) on the 4th.
Korea has to play in the quarterfinals with one loss due to the loss to Vietnam in the first round of the preliminary round. They will play Group A against first-place China and second-place North Korea, and they must win both games to advance to the semifinals, which is their goal.
Of course, even if North Korea loses to China, there is a possibility if it captures Vietnam. However, there is a slim chance that Vietnam will lose to North Korea, and if they do not want to count the chances, they must overcome China.
After the shock loss against Vietnam, Korea struggled even in the first set against Nepal. In particular, Park Jeong-ah showed signs of anxiety when receiving. Park Jung-ah struggled with Nepal's serve, which is at an 'amateur level' and is not even ranked by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). Nepal recorded three serve aces in the first set, all of which were scored through targeted serves targeting Park Jung-ah. When Park Jeong-ah faltered, Coach Cesar brought in Seung-joo Pyo (IBK Industrial Bank of Korea), but Park Jeong-ah did not appear after that.
Kim Yeon-kyung (Heungkuk Life Insurance), who is broadcasting Korean women's volleyball games locally as a guest commentator for KBS, said, “It seems like she is having a hard time physically and mentally.” She added, “Also, since I don't play a lot, I have difficulty interacting with my colleagues. “I don’t think my performance has fully improved,” he said.
Park Jung-ah hardly received any receptions when playing in the V-League. She played for the road construction team until last season, and thanks to the two-person receiving system of Moon Jeong-won and Myeong-ok Myung, she was able to focus on attacking instead of participating in receiving. His position registration is outside hitter, but he has only 1,470 career receiving attempts. He received less than most backup players, let alone the other team's starting outside hitter.
But not with the national team. Coach Cesar has Park Jung-ah in the outside hitter position and has her receive receiving as well. I was also shaken by the Nepalese players, but the Chinese players used stronger serves. You have to come onto the court with a strong mind.
Coach Cesar said after the Nepal game, “I talked to the Nepalese coach and he said he promised to serve strongly. “He was preparing other players when Park Jung-ah hit the target,” he said. “We will use Park Jung-ah again in the next game.” “I will manage it well and prepare you to overcome it,” he said.
Park Jeong-ah left her beloved Road Construction Company at the end of last season and transferred to Pepper Savings Bank. Along with Kim Yeon-kyung, she receives the highest annual salary of 775 million won (including options) in the V-League women's division. She is also the captain of Korean women's volleyball, succeeding Kim Yeon-kyung.
Can Captain Cesarho salvage the pride of the V-League salary queen in the game against China?
Park Jeong-ah, who met after the first game against Vietnam, said, “It is definitely a difficult situation, but our players will not give up until the end. “I will do my best until the end,” he said.