[삼산=스포츠한국 김성수 기자] Korea Expressway Corporation coach Kim Jong-min (48), who won the first-ever championship match, ‘reverse sweep’, said he was impressed by the players’ play.
The road construction team scored a set score of 3-2 (23-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13). The road construction, which won the championship with a record of 3 wins and 2 losses in the championship match, was awarded the second star in 5 years following the 2017-2018 season.
He also wrote a record that will remain in the history of the V-League. Since the launch of the V-League in 2005, Korea Expressway Corporation has become the first team to win the championship with a reverse sweep (3 consecutive wins following 2 losses) in the men’s and women’s divisions. He broke the ‘0%’ probability and rose to the throne.
In the road construction team, Catbell led the team with 32 points, and Park Jung-ah supported the team with 23 points. On the other hand, in Heungkuk Life Insurance, Yelena struggled with 35 points, but might not prevent the team from losing.
At the post-game press conference, Road Corporation manager Kim Jong-min said, “I am really grateful to the players who made a miracle. I was impressed by the players and competed. I wanted to tell him to take it easy when he saw him struggling, but his eyes were alive. I believe that the winning factor is that the whipping and dragging from behind blends with the players’ experience to understand the opponent.”
Regarding the last 5 sets of 2 consecutive video readings, “I didn’t see the scene properly, but I thought it might be a blocker touchout. I was really surprised that I was right (laughs).”
He continued, “I didn’t think I was certain of winning until the 5th set, 14-13, because (Park) Jeong-a was in too bad shape. It seems to have worked for her to hit her lightly. She can’t remember anything regarding the game (laughs). Thanks to the opponent’s mistake, it went over to the flow of road construction. The opponent is physically struggling, so I think we were right when we said to reduce the number of offenses.”
On the catbell that scored the most 32 points on the team that day, “It didn’t seem easy whether Kim Yeon-kyung was blocked by Park Jung-ah or the catbell. Park Jung-ah was not in good shape, so I attached a catbell, and it worked. At first, Catbell’s knee was not in good condition, and I thought it was impossible to digest a long season. He didn’t play a match in the Turkish league. Still, I watched and checked his physical condition. He said that because Catbell showed potential, he had no choice but to recruit as a foreign replacement.”
When asked to compare with the first championship in the 2017-2018 season, “I was a candidate for the championship at the first championship and the power was good. There was also the pressure of winning. This season, the road construction did not receive attention from the beginning, so I prepared with the players at ease. It’s because the players have endured well. He said that we should stick together because we are a team that can win once morest any team and lose to any team. Looking back now, I lost 2 to Pepper Savings Bank, while I caught Heungkuk Life Insurance in the championship game. Even without one outstanding player, 6-7 people came together to form a solid team. It was setter Lee Yoon-jung who tied it up, so he scolded her a lot. Now my liver has grown and my mentality has improved.”
After this season, five key players, including Park Jung-ah, Bae Yu-na, Jeong Dae-young, Moon Jeong-won, and Jeon Sae-yan, are released as free agents at once, saying, “I want to go together. I’ve been supervising at Expressway Corporation for 7 years, and except for the setter, the members are almost the same. It’s not easy when one person is missing. Free agents are free for players, but they will tell the club to hold them. Catbell said let’s go together next season and said “No”. He came in the middle and honestly said that playing 3 rounds was the best (laughs).”
As for the most difficult moment this season, “Park Jung-ah was not in good shape at the beginning of the season, and the team’s flow in the middle was not good. The players came together well and came this far, and I think the turning point was that they beat Heungkuk Life Insurance at home.”
