It is clearly forming a ‘two-river structure’, but the aftertaste is unpleasant. Although it is in second place because it is losing a lot in the face-to-face match with the leader, it does not feel like a rival or a counterhorse. This is the story of Hyundai Capital for men’s volleyball.
Hyundai Capital lost with a set score of 1-3 (17-25 25-19 21-25 19-25) in the Dodram 2022-23 V-League men’s match against Korean Air held at Yu Gwan-soon Gymnasium in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do on the 18th.
Hyundai Capital, which had a season record of 10 wins and 5 losses (30 points), still held on to second place despite the defeat that day, but the gap with leader Korean Air (12 wins and 2 losses, 36 points) widened by 6 points. Considering that Korean Air played one less game, the potential gap is 8-9 points.
Hyundai Capital, which stayed at the bottom last season, showed a different look this season and regained the appearance of a strong team. They recruited a foreign player (Oreol Camejo) as an outside heater position, not an apogee, and increased the proportion of domestic players such as Heo Soo-bong and Jeon Kwang-in while showing off their sharp offensive power.
In addition, the defensive power that boasts a receiving efficiency of 40% (41.62%), the only one among the 7 clubs, is also the strength that supports Hyundai Capital.
The problem is that these advantages do not shine in the Korean Air war.
Hyundai Capital lost all of its head-to-head matches with Korean Air until the third round this season. They drove to the 5th set and never won a point, and the 1st and 2nd rounds were 0-3 shutout losses. In particular, in the second round match, they lost even though Lincoln Williams, a foreigner of Korean Air, was missing.
In fact, excluding head-to-head matches, the results of Hyundai Capital and Korean Air this season are not very different. Korean Air, the leader, lost to Woori Card and OK Financial Group once each and is recording two losses, while Hyundai Capital also lost to KEPCO and OK Financial Group once, except for the Korean Air War.
In short, it is not an exaggeration to say that the head-to-head record was directly linked to the difference in rankings and points. 안전놀이터
It has already been more than a year since Hyundai Capital tasted victory in the Korean Air War. Since winning 3-2 in the first round of the 2021-22 season on October 27 last year, the absolute inferiority of 8 consecutive losses has continued for a period of close to 1 year and 2 months.
Even if last season, which stayed at the bottom, was behind in power itself, this season’s 3 matches and 3 losses are very suggestive. This is because the more repeated defeats, the more the psychological pressure inevitably grows. If this atmosphere cannot be reversed, it is difficult to expect a championship even if they reach the postseason in second place.
Choi Tae-woong, head coach of Hyundai Capital, said, “We rank first and second, but our overall skills are lacking.”
Can Hyundai Capital find a breakthrough in the remaining 3 matches against Korean Air in the regular season? Hyundai Capital is considered the only team to stop Korean Air’s ‘solo’ in terms of power. In the end, if Hyundai Capital does not show a change, the direction of winning the V-League men’s division this season will inevitably be decided.