Again, the priority was to stabilize the reception rather than the offense.
Once again, it was more about stabilizing the reception than the offense. The road team earned its first win of the season against IBK, which has lost all three meetings this season.
In the fourth round of the 2023-2024 V-League at Hwaseong Gymnasium on the 9th, Doro Corporation won the set 3-1 (24-26 25-17 25-14 25-17), led by the one-two punch of Vukiric (35 points, 44.59% attack success rate) and Bae Yuna (21 points, 44.12%).
With their first win after a three-game losing streak to IBK this season, Doosan also snapped their recent two-game losing streak, improving their record to 22 (7-15) with the three points and closing the gap on fifth-place Jungkwanjang (30, 9-12) to keep their spring volleyball hopes alive. On the other hand, IBK, who lost to Kim Yeon-kyung in a tightly contested full-set match at Heungkuk Life Insurance on April 4, dropped three points in a row after holding match point first. IBK, which remained in fourth place with 32 points (11 wins and 11 losses), failed to close the gap on Chung Kwan Jang, which has played one less match, and its chances of securing fourth place were in jeopardy.
The key to the victory was to remove Asia Quarter Tanacha (Thailand) from the starting lineup early in the second set in favor of Jeon Sae-yan, whose strengths lie in defense and reception. Tanacha became the target of her opponent’s targeted serves, giving up three service points in the first set alone. Coach Kim Jong-min removed Tanacha at the beginning of the second set and inserted Jeon Sae-yan. As her receiving efficiency increased, setter Lee Yoon-jung also simplified her attack routes, but for once, she showed off her chemistry with Vukiric.
Veteran middle blocker Bae Yoo-na filled in the gaps left by the other two wing attackers in Moon Jung-won and Jeon Sae-yan. Whenever Bae Yoo-na was on the outside, she was able to utilize mobile outside hitting, fastballs, and staggered open attacks. Bae did a great job as the second option on offense with 21 points, including three service aces and three blocks.
After the game, coach Kim Jong-min said, “(Jeon) Sae-yan came in and did a good job, so the game was solved. However, it’s frustrating that we don’t have many attacking points among the domestic players except for (Bae) Yuna. Still, we played the best volleyball we could today.” “The chemistry between Vukiric and Lee has its ups and downs, but today it worked well. It’s not like she’s weak or anything. It’s just that her hitting percentage drops when she’s hanging, and her meeting is unstable, so she’s bound to be blocked. I know that hitting a lot is better for her rhythm, but she needs to find other routes that she can utilize.”
Head coach Kim Ho-cheol of IBK said, “Today was a game where nothing worked. “I thought we would have a mid-season hump, but it seems like it came at the most important time.” “We will do our best to prepare for the next match,” said Kim Ho-cheol. We will do our best to prepare for the next match.”