"He's recovering slower than I thought." The 8th consecutive win for Jung Ji-yoon... Against GS returns to main setter training [Suwon site]

*This content was translated by AI.

With the V League 2025-2026 season turning around, each club is focusing on injury management.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction will play a home game against GS Caltex in the fourth round of the women's division of Jin Air 2025-2026 V-League at Suwon Indoor Gymnasium on the 3rd.

Currently, Hyundai Engineering & Construction has won eight consecutive games, ranking second in the league with 13 wins and 6 losses (38 points). It is possible to become the lead depending on the result of the game on the day, with a two-point gap with the Korea Expressway Corporation (15 wins, 4 losses, 40 points).

Coach Kang Sung-hyung, who met with reporters before the game, said, "The players are greedy even if we don't talk about winning first place. We also compete for the top spot every time, but it's not easy when you think about it. Today's game is important, but the game is also important because it is the next road construction match in Gyeonggi Province." "You can be greedy, but even if it's not, the players are doing really well. It's just the beginning, so I hope you still look at it for a long time and go," he added.

The reason why we don't talk about the first place prematurely is because of the players' bad physical condition. Main gun Kari Geisberger (registered name Kari) and Jung Ji-yoon are groaning from knee injuries, and other players are also losing a lot of physical strength due to their compulsory force.

Coach Kang Sung-hyung said, "Jung Ji-yoon can only be replaced. The recovery is slow as if it was too much last time. I think I need to build my body a little better and go in," he said. He said, "Kari is in a knee condition and he doesn't want to make a lot of mobile attacks because of his physical problems. He tries to focus on keeping his position and fighting back. Of course, you can move around for a while at a critical moment. "When defending, shouldn't we change players and defend?" he said.

In that sense, the struggles of backup players such as Na Hyun-soo and Lee Ye-rim make the head coach smile. Coach Kang Sung-hyung said, "Kari's right knee hurts at the moment, but it's not a big problem, but the left side is the problem. Still, I'm managing it by replacing it with Na Hyun-soo," he said.

In particular, Lee Ye-rim's performance, who was named Ko Ye-rim's compensation player and joined ahead of this season, is encouraging. Lee Ye-rim led the victory in the match against Heungkuk Life Insurance in Gyeonggi Province by scoring 16 points, the most this season. Coach Kang Sung-hyung said, "I was originally a good volleyball player. He played better at Pepper Savings Bank than at the Korea Expressway Corporation. I thought the defense would be okay, but I'm satisfied because I'm good at offense. (Kim)I think Dine and Toss match well," he said with a smile.

Against him, GS Caltex is also worried about the injured players. Main setter Ahn Hye-jin left due to a knee injury, and Reina Tokoku (registered name Reina) also recently returned. Captain Yoo Soo-yeon has difficulty managing her condition due to small pain.

GS Caltex coach Lee Young-taek (49) met with reporters before the game and said, "Reina is passive after returning from injury, but I think it's okay. Yoo is not as injured as he was last season. I'm controlling bad days. Ahn Hyejin came to Suwon together today. I've started ball training, but I still need a little time," he explained.

Han Soo-jin's rebound as the main libero is also needed. Han Soo-jin, who has been the main liberator since last season, has been shaken greatly as he enters the middle of the season. In response, rookie Kim Hyo-im (19) often appears with Yoo Ah-ram.

Coach Lee Young-taek said, "Kim Hyo-im was also selected after seeing what he did well in high school, but when I trained, the receiving and defense were quite good. He emphasized, "I thought I could serve as a servo (one-point server + libero) because I did better than I thought." "But (Han) Soo-jin has to do it eventually. Yoo Ah-ram and Kim Hyo-im try to use it as a role to relieve the burden when Raina or Kwon Min-ji is in the background, he added.

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*This content was translated by AI.