Korean Air’s eventful journey has come to an end.
Korean Air will play the seventh and eighth place match of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Men’s Club Volleyball Championship 2023 at the Isa Sports City on Nov. 21 local time. The opponent will be Bayang Hongor (Mongolia), who they faced in the top round Group E match on Sept. 19.
Korean Air’s loss to Kuwait Sporting Club (Kuwait) and Bayang Hongor’s defeat to South Gas Sports Club (Iraq) sent the two teams to the seventh- and eighth-place match, setting up a rematch in just two days. This will be Korean Air’s last game of the tournament. It’s a cliché, but they need to go out with a bang. In order to do so, they need to thoroughly review the game on the 19th.
In the 19th game, Korean Air had a good overall performance. Despite playing a new lineup, with Jung Jin-hyuk starting for the first time and Son Hyun-jong playing as an apogee, the Korean Air team didn’t falter and secured the win. In particular, Jeong Jung-yong and Jeong Jin-wi stood out. Jung Jung-yong scored 18 points to lead the team’s offense, while Jeong Jin-yu neutralized Bayang Honggor’s attackers with five blocks.
However, it was Jade’s tee that dropped the second set. He had a difficult start to the set, struggling against the spirited attack of left-handed Apojit Kangal Tamira, who was also part of the Asian Quarterfinal tryouts. When the chemistry between Jung Jin-hyuk and the outside hitter faltered, the momentum quickly shifted in favor of Bayang Hongor, and Korean Air dropped the second set thanks to Bayarsaihan’s fastball.
In the third set, Korean Air was able to play volleyball again, as veteran Cho Jae-young, who replaced Kim Min-jae, calmed the players on the court and gave them a sense of security. This, coupled with the blocking of Jeong Jin-wi and the good serve of Jeong Jeong-yong, revitalized Korean Air’s flow, and the match ended with Korean Air’s victory as the momentum-losing Bayang Hongor self-destructed with a hitting error.
Looking back at the match on the 19th, there are two things to take away. One is that the reason they dropped the second set was due to their inability to stop Kangal, and the other is that the reason they bounced back in the third set was due to the invisible role of Cho Jae-young. Therefore, in order to catch Bayang Honggor more comfortably this time around, it is essential to keep Kangal in check, and it is also worth considering Cho Jae-young’s starting card.
Unlike Saber Kazemi (Iran, Kuwait Sporting Club), the same left-handed apogee who destroyed Korean Air, Kangal is not a tall player (190cm, Kazemi 205cm). His technique is also less advanced than Kazemi’s. However, he is a player who can shut down a defense if the timing and positioning of his blocks are prepared in advance.
As for Cho’s starting card, it may or may not come up depending on how important Tommy Tilikainen thinks this match is. First of all, Tilikainen said after the defeat to Kuwait Sporting that “I think we will play a new lineup tomorrow (Nov. 21).”
It’s really the last game now. More than anything else, it’s important for the players to play with no regrets. Hopefully, everyone at Korean Air can leave the court with a smile on their face after the game 메이저사이트.