4 points difference from 2nd to 5th place
No. 1 Korean Air can be relieved
Announcement of the last-minute ranking battle at the end of the season
After an unexpected two-week break due to Corona 19, the V-League men’s division resumes the season from the 11th and is fighting for playoff tickets. The photo shows the match between KB Insurance and OK Financial Group held on the 21st of last month. Provided by the Korean Volleyball Federation
At the end of the season in the professional volleyball V-League, the coach and players all confess, “Your physical strength has reached the limit.” This is the result of a strong march that lasted for over five months. But, knowing that they can’t rest until the end of the season, everyone squeezes their stamina into the game.
However, in the 2020-2021 season, the V-League men’s players were given an unscheduled long-term break. On the 22nd of last month, since Park Jin-woo, 31, of KB Insurance Insurance was confirmed with a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), the secretariat stopped the men’s competition for two weeks for safety. There were confirmed cases among the staff of KB Insurance and Korean Air, which were in self-isolation during this period, but fortunately there was no further spread, and the men’s division will resume starting with the match between Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Woori Card on the 11th.
It was an unwelcome reason for Corona 19, but in the meantime, players were able to replenish their stamina and shake off minor injuries. Even at the end of the season, it is possible to compete in a much better shape than in previous years.
The men’s division is currently in the ranks of the previous ranks. The difference between the 2nd place Woori Card (53 points) and the 5th place KEPCO (49 points) is only 4 points. Even the first place Korean Air has 58 points, which is not much different from the second place group. All teams can advance to’Spring Volleyball’ according to the results of the remaining 5-6 matches.
Naturally, the V-League men’s match is inevitable to be an all-out match with a spring volleyball ticket. Just before the halting of the league, the first place Korean Air, with the replacement foreign player Yosbani (30) in full operation, can finally unfold the power of the triangular flight leading to Yosbani, Jung Ji-seok (26) and Lim Dong-hyuk (22) on the court. For 2nd place Woori Card and 3rd place KB Insurance (52 points), foreign strikers Alex (30) and Keita (20), who account for the absolute proportion of the team’s attacks, relieve the burden of physical strength, so it is worth expecting a solid strength in the early and mid-season.
The 4th place OK Financial Group (50 points), whose core members, Song Myung-geun (28) and Shim Gyeong-seop (30), were unable to travel for the rest of the season due to the school violence controversy, was also able to build a cluttered team atmosphere during the break. The key is what role Chae-hwan Chae (25), Jae-seong Cho (26), and Ungbi Kim (24), who will replace veterans, play a role. KEPCO, whose main players, such as Shin Young-seok (35) and Park Cheol-woo (36), are mostly in their 30s, replenish their stamina and aim for the final turnaround.
Reporter Pilwoong Seo [email protected]
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