The match between Hyundai E&C and Jung Kwan-jang on the 16th was a one-sided affair. Kwanjang dominated from the first set. In the first set, Jia’s hard hitting exploded from the No. 4 spot, and Jung Ho-young showed his dominance in the middle. Kwanjang easily won 25-17.
At the beginning of the second set, Jung Jeong-yoon, whose reception was shaky, was replaced by Kim Joo-hyang, and Wipawi was replaced by Go Go-ji. Hyundai E&C lost the set again. The opponent was devastated by 온라인카지노 Mega and Jia’s strong performance, and even Jung Ho-young was flying.
Forced into the final set, Hyundai E&C was down 3-7 at the start of the third set. The opponent was strong with a strong serve, an onslaught, and high blocking.
Coach Kang Sung-hyung called time and said, “He (Jung Kwan-jang) is too good. Let’s hold on as long as we can.” It was clear that it would not be easy today. Things didn’t change much after that. The score widened to 5-11.
Coach Kang Sung-hyung called for a second timeout in the early hours. He said, “There’s no way. We can’t do this, we can’t do that,” he said, admitting the situation. He said, “Let’s concentrate until the end. If we lose the power battle, we can’t do anything about it. We can only do it together.”
As Kang said, Hyundai E&C’s game was a no-win situation. It was bleak, and a complete defeat was waiting for them.
Kang calmly encouraged his players. His final words, “We have no choice but to play together,” moved the players’ hearts. The team’s seven-game winning streak could not be broken like this.
The coach’s words about putting down the burden of winning and losing and finishing the game well were calculated for the next game against the leader, Heungkuk Life. He wanted to hold on to the atmosphere regardless of whether they won or lost.
However, the game time proved to be a turning point. After the timeout, the court was a completely different place. After catching their breath, on-court leader Yang Hyo-jin scored back-to-back points to lift the mood, and Moma responded with back-to-back points of her own. Lee Da-hyun and Wipawi also joined the scoring ranks. The score was quickly tied at 15-15 after back-to-back errors by the opposing Mega.
With the score tied at 20-20, HEC took a 23-20 lead after Moma scored a point and Jia made back-to-back errors. The set was within reach. However, the crisis came again as Jia made up for her errors with two hard hitting and serving points to make it 24-24 deuce, and the long rally that followed was blocked by Park Eun-jin.
Faced with a match point, HHI saved the day with a Jia service error and then squeaked out a third set 29-27 thanks to a Yang Hyo-jin kill.
It was the beginning of an upset for HMC. After that, the game went smoothly. In the fourth set, Moma exploded, and Wipawi and Lee Da-hyun also stepped up. With a 25-21 win, Hyundai E&C turned the match around.
The fifth and final set. Hyundai E&C held on to the lead. At 7-7, Lee Da-hyun’s fastball made a court change, and Jeong Ji-yoon’s two kills after returning to the court pushed the lead to 11-8. After Yang Hyo-jin and Jeong Ji-yoon scored in quick succession, the match’s hero, Moma, put an end to the long game.
Hyundai E&C added two more points to move back to the top of the standings with a 12-4 record and 37 points, overtaking Heungkuk Life (13-2, 35). It also extended its winning streak to eight games.
The exhausting third set was the beginning of the upset drama. Hyundai E&C’s strength shone through.