"11 consecutive losses → 1st consecutive win"... "37-year-old interim director" Ko Jun-yong and the kids, "How" has changed 180 degrees. [Incheon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

The coach voluntarily resigned and there was no change in the composition of the players. However, Daejeon Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance won three consecutive games and won its first two consecutive games of the season. He even managed to catch the lead Incheon Korean Air.

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, led by acting coach Ko Joon-yong (37), came from behind to win 3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-13) after a full set match in the men's away match between Incheon Korean Air and Jin Air 2025-2026 V-League at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon on the 1st.

He was at the bottom of the league and lost all three games against Korean Air, but he made his fourth win of the season his first consecutive victory. Korean Air, which had been doing well, suffered its first loss at home this season. Although he is still the lowest with 4 wins and 15 losses and 12 points, he earned points along with persistence in a full set battle in all three games under the "Ko Jun-yong system" and gained clear confidence.

He escaped from a long losing streak against Busan OK Savings Bank, which had accumulated points in 11 games against Suwon KEPCO, and did not give up and won a reverse sweep even after giving up all two sets to the leader Korean Air.

There was no significant change, but the players moved more determinedly than ever and encouraged and shouted at each other as if they had won each point. Until the third set was brought to a close game, the prevailing idea was that Korean Air would win without difficulty, but Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance changed completely after that and eventually swept to the fourth and fifth sets.

After the game, acting coach Ko Jun-yong said, "If it were the past, the players would have easily lost in the third set, but they made me more willing and patient," adding, "I thought I could catch four or five sets if I set three, but the players did a good job."

14-13. Son Hyun-jong was put in at a moment when he could win with just one point, but he blocked Kyle Russell's back attack, the scariest opponent of the day, and gave coach Ko Jun-yong a victory himself. Acting Ko explained, "I had to put it in because the height was good and the blocking timing was good, but the timing came out (at the end of the game)." Acting Ko Jun-yong, who played in a full set game for three consecutive games, had his lips burst, but such fatigue was also a valuable victory to forget. "I didn't think I would lose even if I was two points apart in five sets. He said let's do it ourselves. I thought I could do it while seeing that," he said.

Acting Ko decided that his role was to revive the spirits of the players, who had been sagging for a long losing streak. As a result, the players also got more energized. "I think the players' willingness to not give up has changed a lot," said acting Ko. "There are many players who have lived together since they were players and have no hesitation. I'm talking a lot other than volleyball and just instilling confidence," he said.

It's not just encouraging. Lee Yoon-soo, the No. 1 rookie in 2023-2024, who has rarely been used as a starter, boldly played as an outside heater from the first set and lived up to the coach's belief with 14 points and an attack success rate of 52.17%.

After the game, Lee Yoon-soo said, "It was a very difficult situation as I lost consecutively. I've always said let's hang up today, but it didn't go my way, he said. "These days, acting coach Ko Jun-yong is giving me confidence. I think the mentality that the players are trying to unite more has become stronger," he said.

He also showed full confidence in the setter Rshdeep Singh Dosan (registered name Dosanji). "I didn't think the tosswork was bad, and I thought the difference in score was not because of Dosanji's mistakes, but because other players, such as receiving, were weakened," said acting Ko. Dosanji then ran the game smartly and saved the players in the third, fourth and fifth sets to lead his team to victory. At a critical moment, he launched an attack that caught him off guard and blocked him.

Under Ko, he played only three games. It may be premature to make any assessment yet. However, the players have changed noticeably, and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance posted a performance similar to the points the team gained in 16 games this season in just three games. This is why we need to pay attention to Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's scary counterattack, which has not yet turned a turning point.

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*This content was translated by AI.