*This content was translated by AI.
Park Chul-woo (41), acting manager of Woori Card, caught a big fish in his first home game since taking office. It also caught the leader Korean Air, where his friend of the same age and V-League legend setter Han (41) is holding out.
Woori Card beat Korean Air with a set score of 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-22) in the fourth round of the men's regular league of Jin Air 2025-2026 V-League at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul on the 8th.
As a result, sixth-ranked Woori Card trailed fifth-ranked OK Savings Bank (9-11, 28 points) by four points with 8 wins and 12 losses (24 points). Korean Air, which suffered a blow, lost three consecutive games and lost 14 wins and six losses (41 points), failing to widen the point gap with second-place Hyundai Capital (12-7, 38 points).
It wasn't an easy opponent. Recently, Korean Air has been losing two consecutive games in the aftermath of the absence of main gun Jung Ji-seok and next-generation ace Lim Jae-young due to injuries. However, national offensive resources such as Kyle Russell (registered Russell), Jeong Han-yong, Kwak Seung-seok, and Lim Dong-hyuk are still in good shape. Woori Card also had an element of anxiety. As shown in the first and sixth rankings, there was a basic power difference. In addition, on the 30th of last month, Mauricio Paes stepped down, and acting coach Park Chul-woo became the head coach eight months after the appointment of the coach, increasing anxiety.
However, the novice head coach was infinitely calm. As evidenced by the fact that the victory in the away full set of OK Savings Bank's debut game and the previous game was not a coincidence, the game against Korean Air was also fully prepared. All 16 players have been hired since their debut due to back pain in Ali Hagparast (registered name Ali), and the players have checked their current skills. It also prepared a customized strategy for Korean Air, which recently experimented with Russell's use of an outside heater due to a string of key players.
Before the game, acting coach Park Chul-woo said, "(As an outside heater) Russell can come out with Lim Dong-hyuk (who will come out as an apogit spy), and then there could be a problem with receiving. "At that time, Han Tae-joon's serve is the most important," he said. He then said, "We have to focus on serving to the extent that it is close to obsession with Russell and Jeong Han-yong. He told me not to serve to Ryohei. In addition, he added, "I'm going to match Araujo to Russell as much as possible in the order."
Of course, Russell was also prepared for a situation where he would play normally as an apogee spiker. Acting head coach Park Chul-woo said, "Then the order goes easier. The relative height becomes lower, so I leave it to Araujo. "I can take the side-out more easily," he said, but added, "Even if you do that, if you go around your seat, there will be a situation where the matchup does not fit. In that case, it is important to solve the game in each situation," he said with strength.
"You can block or serve a lot toward Ali. But that's the same over there. In the end, when the receiving is shaken, it is important how much it is drilled from the other side. I hope Han Tae-joon plays against his opponent's thoughts. It is important to target the lower side well and hit responsibly when the two-blocker is attached," he stressed.
It was as planned by our card. Korean Air used Russell as an apogee spiker according to the standard, and left the remaining outside heater position to Kwak Seung-seok, who has good reception. This is because he was wary of Woori Card's serve to the end. However, Woori Card's serve was greater than expected, and Korean Air's lowered defense wall easily collapsed. Woori Card overwhelmed 5 to 1 in the serve score, and Woori Card's foreign double gun fired. Araujo scored 20 points and Ali scored 17 points, making 37 points. On the other hand, at Korean Air, Russell was the only one to score in double digits with 24 points, completely falling behind.
After the game, acting coach Park Chul-woo said, "Arauzo has such a good RBI that I expected Han Tae-joon to make good use of it. Araujo and other strikers also scored good points whenever they were in trouble. There was a regret that there was a miss in the last set, but the players held on well," he said, expressing satisfaction.
In this situation, Korean Air's veteran setter Han was also helpless. Han used the side to avoid a high defensive wall, but Woori Card's defensive wall was not late and effectively blocked.
Acting coach Park Chul-woo said, "I tried to figure out Han. He analyzed how a player plays and uses fastballs and ordered middle blockers. "If I decide during the game, it's hard for creative play to come out," he explained.
"That's why I talked to the middle blockers before the game and let them take the lead during the game. Fortunately, I think the players did as well as they could," he said with a smile.
The good side of Woori Card's expectation as a leader is increasingly being revealed. Woori Card quickly replaced head coach Paes, and after much consideration, entrusted acting head coach Park Chul-woo with an important role. He gave high marks to his sincerity and communication skills with players over the past eight months.
Acting head coach Park Chul-woo said, "Actually, I'm still puzzled. I also thought I wanted to avoid it. I wondered if I could handle this position, but looking back, I thought I might as well be responsible. I'm getting a lot of help from the staff because I'm lacking so much," he said honestly.
"I only played two games (to the reporters' words that I'm doing well)," he said with a smile, adding, "Even if I lost today, I wanted to have fun." That's how you build trust and there's next. That's the end of today's game. For now, I'm only going to focus on the moment regardless of my winning streak or my goal. Right now, it is important to manage the physical strength of the players and the next KB match. I will trust the players and do my best," he said.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
