*This content was translated by AI.
From the beginning of the new year, there was a turmoil in the V-League. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Jeong Kwan-jang, the last-place men's and women's teams, respectively, caught the leading Korean Air and Korea Expressway Corporation.
Ahead of the women's division of the 2025-2026 V-League, the first season after the retirement of volleyball empress Kim Yeon-kyung, many experts predicted leveling up. Unexpectedly, the early part of the season was the lead of the road corporation, but as the season went on, the weaknesses of the leading teams were revealed. The leading road corporation exposed a shaky performance to the ups and downs of the setters. Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which is in second place, also has concerns. Hyundai Engineering & Construction is on thin ice due to the injuries and physical strength of its main strikers such as Kari Geisberger (registered name Kari), Jung Ji-yoon and Yang Hyo-jin. This is why head coach Kang Sung-hyung cannot laugh despite the recent collapse of eight consecutive wins.
Foreign players had similar views. Jastis Yauchi (registered name Jastis), who is playing in the V-League for the first time this season, said after the third round of road construction, "I don't know well because this is the first time this year, but I think the performance of the day is very important rather than which team is very good." Kari also said, "I think the team in good condition wins that day. "I completely agree with Jastis in that there is no (specific) strong team, but the more prepared team can win that day," he said.
The Jeonggwanjang-Road Construction Exhibition on the 1st was a representative example. In the first round of the fourth round of the women's league of Jin Air 2025-2026 V-League at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon on the 1st, the lowest-ranked Jeong Kwan-jang defeated the No. 1 road corporation with a set score of 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-19).
Outside heater Park Hye-min (director Jeong) played a life game in which he scored 17 points, including 3 blocking points, with a 62% attack success rate. Jung Ho-young, a national middle blocker, also played an active role with 15 points, including three blocks, against the Korea Expressway Corporation, which has a strength in height. "Kim Yeon-kyung's disciple" Jamyanpureb Enkh Sun (registered name Incusi) also showed his best performance since his professional debut, scoring 13 points, including a serve ace. On the contrary, 12 points of foreign player Elisa Zanete (registered name Zanete) seemed easy. Popular setter Choi Seo-hyun also helped by scoring four points with easy attack coordination.
On the other hand, the Korea Expressway Corporation was unable to win 20 points in a set due to the collapse of the receiving line. Letizia Moma Vasoko (registered name Moma) somehow hit the ball coming up and scored 27 points, the most in both teams, but that was all.
In the men's team, injuries seem to be a variable. Korean Air, which had established a more solo system than the women's team, began to squeak in the third round, with main gun Jung Ji-seok receiving eight weeks of rehabilitation due to a left ankle injury. Lim Jae-young, who had been filling the gap well, also recently left due to damage to the meniscus cartilage in her left knee. To make matters worse, foreign player Kyle Russell (registered Russell) also has a bad back.
In the end, Korean Air suffered a set score of 2-3 (25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 20-25, 13-15) at its home stadium, Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon, which ended its 11-game losing streak in five sets.
Under the leadership of setter Alshdeep Singh Dosan (registered name Dosanji), Mahil Ahi (registered name Ahi), Kim Woo-jin and Lee Yoon-soo's triangle squad each scored 64 points with an attack success rate of more than 50%. In the aftermath, Korean Air allowed the second-place Hyundai Capital (11-7, 35 points) to chase by six points. The head coaches cited a tight schedule that gave them little time to recover from the continued injuries.
Apart from clubs with a headache, it is true that the V-League has become exciting as an unexpected event has been made from the first game of the fourth round, which marks the start of the second half. Moreover, sixth-ranked Woori Card and third-ranked KB Insurance replaced all foreign coaches and drew swords of counterattack in the second half. From Hyundai Capital in second place to OK Savings Bank in fifth place, there is room for the team to change at any time in spring volleyball, with only eight points difference.
The same goes for the women's team. As the two-river system of Korea Expressway Corporation and Hyundai Engineering & Construction was shaken, the mid-range fight became more intense. Arithmetically, there is only 12 points difference from Heungkuk Life Insurance (9-10, 30 points) in third place to Jeonggwanjang in seventh place, so it is absolutely impossible to reverse the situation.
The key is how to hold out until the All-Star break scheduled for January 24-28. With many five-set games this season, the physical strength of the players is also facing limitations little by little. Some players needed time to reorganize, saying, "I hope the All-Star break comes soon."
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
