Kim Yeon-koung posed with her colleague Willow Johnson after winning the match against IBK Industrial Bank of Korea on Thursday. IS Photo
The competition to rank No. 1 in the women's professional volleyball regular league has reached its climax. The adrenaline of Kim Yeon-kyung 36, Heungkuk Life Insurance, the "example of volleyball," is soaring to the highest level.
Kim Yeon-kyung started in the sixth round away match against IBK Industrial Bank of Korea in the 2023-24 Dodram V-League Women's Division at Hwaseong Indoor Gymnasium on the 5th, scoring 36 points and an attack success rate of 50%, leading his team Heungkuk Life to a 3-1 victory in the set score.
He has scored the most goals in a single game this season, and blocked the opponent team's ace Brittney Abercrombie's attacks at every critical juncture, spearheading a race of momentum. In the second half of the third set, he displayed his signature clutch ability without reservation. Heungkuk Life Insurance garnered 26 wins seven losses to accumulate 73 points, and regained No. 1 ranking, beating Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which played one less game as of the day.
Kim's performance is not new. What drew the attention was her sheer physical strength. Kim never lost her concentration in the deuce match in the second set, when she scored 30 points. At the end of the fourth set, even after 22 "mega rallies" were held with her hands, her expression did not change, as she bowed her head and caught her breath. Kim also set her own record in a single season based on the V-League, filling out the 130th set this season.
He is already in his mid-30s. He can hardly be as energetic as he was in his prime. It is all the more so considering that the current time is the last round 6 of the regular season. Heungkuk Life coach Marcello Avondan also expressed regret over the fact that he has not been able to give his team ace a proper rest.
Kim doesn't care. "I often remind him because he doesn't seem to know my age," he said after the IBK match on Thursday. "Since the timing is always tough for everyone, I am taking more rigorous measures to sleep, eat and manage muscle strength. It is not easy to do it regularly, but there are many people who help me, including the training coach. The remaining three games regular season are also tight, but I am glad that I have good physical strength compared to last year," he said.
In fact, Kim has been performing even better since entering the sixth round. All three matches that she played on the day against Industrial Bank of Korea posted attack success rates of over 45 percent. The rate exceeded 45 percent for the first time in three consecutive matches since Games 1 to 4 of the first round. The average was 43.14 percent in six matches in the fifth round, which had ups and downs.
Kim Yeon-kyung responded, "The addition and ranking of points vary depending on the results of each game and each set. I think the competition for the rankings is urgent, and there are not many games left, so my concentration is getting higher."
The match between IBK Industrial Bank of Korea and Heungkuk Life Insurance in the women's "Dodram 2023-24 V-League" held at Hwaseong Indoor Stadium in Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 5th. Kim Yeon-kyung of Heungkuk Life Insurance is serving.
Kim Yeon-koung also showed great concentration in competition in the last season 2022-23. Heungkuk Life Insurance was in second place until the fourth round, three points behind Heungkuk Life Insurance, but won five games one loss in the fifth round and regained the top spot until the end of the regular season. Kim Yeon-koung increased her attack success rate from 42.58 percent in the fourth round to 47.54 percent in the fifth round. She ranked first in this category and became the MVP of the round.
Kim Yeon-kyung said, "It is true that adrenaline is secreted more in urgent situations. I know that I enjoy it because I have played a lot of difficult matches," adding, "I think I can play better when I have pressure than when I have time." 토토사이트
The match between Heungkuk Life Insurance and Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which will take place at Suwon Indoor Stadium on July 12, is effectively the final match to rank No. 1 this season. Heungkuk Life Insurance has three wins and two losses in the competition. Kim is ready to invite volleyball fans to the festival. "It's a game to be held at Wonjeong Suwon, but I hope many people in pink Hangkuk Life Insurance team color come," Kim said, expressing his desire to finish the regular league as No. 1 player. "I think it'll be fun. I'll show you a game that meets the expectations of volleyball fans."