Korea Expressway Corporation Acting Head Coach Kim Young-rae: "Players showed great focus; Park Jeong-a is an essential player for our team" [Yeosu on-site]

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Acting Head Coach Kim Young-rae of Korea Expressway Corporation, a women's professional volleyball team, expressed satisfaction regarding their victory over GS Caltex, stating, "The players' focus was excellent." He evaluated Park Jeong-a, who made her return to the court on this day, saying, "She is undoubtedly an essential player for our team."

Acting Head Coach Kim Young-rae spoke at a press conference following their 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 20-25, 25-19) victory over GS Caltex in the first match of Group B in the group stage of the 2026 Yeosu NH Nonghyup Cup Professional Volleyball Tournament, held on the 12th at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu. He said, "It seems all the players performed well."

Acting Head Coach Kim added, "There were some unforced errors, but that is unavoidable as you play. It would have been better if we had executed more pipe attacks; it was a pity that we did not utilize them much. In other aspects, the players contributed evenly and performed well."

Regarding Park Jeong-a, who returned to the team after leaving and played her comeback match on this day, he said, "It seemed she put in more effort than during practice. Because she tried to hit hard, her timing was off," but added, "Nevertheless, with her blocking height and experience, she is a player who must be on our team."

He also applauded the performance of new Asian quota player Mami (Japan). Acting Head Coach Kim Young-rae said, "I did not express it verbally, but I had some concerns about our offense; however, she performed steadily." He added, "The position responsible for defense and transition is extremely important. Other players likely felt more at ease as well."

On the other hand, losing coach Lee Young-taek swallowed his disappointment, stating, "Since we could not generate offense from anyone other than Silva, our attack was inevitably monotonous."

Coach Lee Young-taek said, "When one player like Silva is blocked, things fall apart. I think our serves were also ordinary." He evaluated the opponent by saying, "The opposing team is originally good at receiving, and player Mami was particularly excellent. We knew she was a strong receiver and defender, but her receiving was perfect in the first and second sets."

Regarding Tanacha, who wore the GS Caltex uniform for the first time in a match on this day, he said, "Before the game even started, I was concerned that although she could clearly play with a better rhythm, her excessive eagerness caused her rhythm to be off." He added, "There were also issues with chemistry with the setter. Since we could not generate offense from Kwon Min-ji either, Setter Kim Ji-won likely had no choice but to keep the play monotonous."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original