“Shutout loss in debut” Kim Young-rae, head coach of Korea Expressway Corporation: “Unbelievable errors… the players were sluggish” [Jangchung on-site report]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

They suffered a painful defeat just two days after officially taking over as head coach. Kim Young-rae (45), head coach of Gimcheon Korea Expressway Corporation, paid a steep tuition fee right from his debut match.

Korea Expressway Corporation, led by Head Coach Kim Young-rae, suffered a 0-3 (18-25, 21-25, 22-25) shutout loss in the opening match of the 2026-2027 HK Heungkuk Life V-League Women’s Division against Seoul GS Caltex, held at Jangchung Gymnasium in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 31st.

Although he had been leading the team as acting head coach, there is inevitably a difference in what one feels as the official head coach. Before the match, Head Coach Kim said, “I am very tense. I am also excited. Since we prepared well, we need to help the players do their best.” He added, “(Compared to my debut as acting head coach) I am much more nervous. The first button is the most important. It is the first game of the season and my first time as head coach. I will trust the players and support them well.”

Above all, he emphasized high-concentration play. Head Coach Kim stated, “We must not make unbelievable errors. If young players come in and are out of position, failing to receive or set the ball, the team’s atmosphere sinks. We talked a lot about that.” He continued, “Moon Jung-won is very good at stabilizing the center. I trust that, but if young players come in and make unbelievable errors, the atmosphere dies down.”

However, problems arose precisely in this area. Although Korea Expressway Corporation has strong receiving skills, their receiving efficiency was 30.88%, significantly trailing GS Caltex (44.64%). As receiving wavered, attack connections could not be smooth. This is why they also trailed in attack success rate at 44.79% versus 55%.

Errors were 10 to 11, showing no significant difference, but invisible mistakes at the net were frequent. Overall, the players appeared sluggish. It was a match where everyone left regrets, except for main scorer Leticia Moma Basoko (registered name: Moma), who single-handedly racked up 23 points.

After the match, Head Coach Kim Young-rae met with reporters and said, “I wanted to raise our blocking height, but the players were sluggish. I trusted them in areas where they could perform, but receiving did not go well.” He added, “We discussed how to attack with serves, but perhaps due to tension, the players served elsewhere. Because of the tension, even though we told them what the opponent might do, they just chased the ball,” expressing his disappointment.

In the third set, they maintained their best flow by putting Kang So-hwi in from the start instead of Park Jung-a, but failed to hold a four-point lead and ultimately lost the third set as well, resulting in a shutout defeat.

Head Coach Kim said, “At first, I wanted to raise our blocking height, but Mami was targeted with purposeful attacks and wavered. The opponent’s serves came in well, both short and long. We should have handled that, but overall, it seems the players were a bit sluggish.” He added, “As unbelievable errors kept coming out one by one, the young players seemed to shrink back, unable to play their own game due to tension.”

It was a painful defeat, but they have only played one of 36 matches. Regarding why he stuck with setter Kim Da-eun until the end, he said, “There are areas that need growth, and Lee Yoon-jung has a lot of experience. It is not because it was a throwaway game, but because it is a long race.” He expressed his regrets, adding, “If receiving had gone well, (Kim Da-eun) would have done even better. I am satisfied with the ball distribution. The attack success rate did not come out well. We need to supplement accuracy and do well in receiving and defense. At first, defense was going well, but we could not score, and net play and second-tempo connections did not work well.”

They will challenge for their first victory since the new head coach’s appointment in the next match. On the 5th of next month, they will move to Gwangju Forest Stadium to face rookie team SOOP. It is an opportunity to hunt for a first win and also boost the confidence of young players.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original