"Victory after 13 consecutive deuces," but no smile in the new home arena; head coach delivers harsh critique: "Emotions affect the game; high concentration is needed in the late stages of sets" [On-site in Pyeongtaek]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

A new head coach, a new home arena. Yet the result was a bitter defeat.

KB Insurance, led by Head Coach Isanaye Ramirez (43), lost to Daejeon Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance with a set score of 1-3 (24-26, 23-25, 38-36, 19-25) at the 2026-2027 HK Hyunguk Life V-League Men's Division opening game held on the 1st at the Pyeongtaek Ichung Cultural and Sports Center.

Head Coach Ramirez, who led the men's national volleyball team at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, took over the team after the tournament concluded. There was not enough time to prepare, and to make matters worse, a decision was made to replace the Asian quota player two days before the season opener.

Amidst an atmosphere that was unsettled in many ways, they received one-sided cheers from home fans in their new arena, but the result was disappointing.

They failed to maintain and lost the lead they held in both the first and second sets. The third set was different. It was a situation where giving up just one more point at 21-24 would end the match. KB Insurance players demonstrated remarkable concentration. Linus Weber (registered name: Linus)'s back attack, an opponent's net touch, and then Linus' open attack landed, sending the set to deuce.

A tense, gripping battle unfolded. The deuce lasted a whopping 13 times. They took the third set with Linus' back attack and Im Dong-kyun's block at 36-36.

However, after the mid-point of the fourth set, consecutive errors caused the point gap to widen in an instant, and they lost without being able to close that gap.

Head Coach Ramirez, met after the match, said, "Various emotions are crossing my mind. The first and second sets were tight, but we lost them due to errors in the late stages, invisible mistakes, and systemic issues." He added, "After that, we became one again and showed a decent performance, but I am not satisfied tactically. We failed to block attacks from the outside hitter position well. We need to improve. I think this match indicated the direction for the future."

He continued, "When things went well, the players' concentration was very high," emphasizing, "Regardless of tactical or technical aspects, it seems that when players become emotional, there is inconsistency on the court and it affects the game. We need to equip ourselves with maintaining a higher intensity level while simultaneously bringing concentration in the late stages of sets."

Daejeon Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance was led to victory by Asian quota player Wang Bin, who exploded for 35 points, the highest among both teams, but KB Insurance had to play without a single main scorer. If quick reinforcements are not made, they will have to continue through a difficult time in the early part of the season. Head Coach Ramirez said, "The situation is difficult right now. Seasons have started in other countries as well, making it hard to bring in good players," while adding, "We are trying to look for many players who will be helpful to us."

Regardless of the match result, many home fans came to the first game held in the new arena and sent one-sided cheers. Head Coach Ramirez said, "I want to express my gratitude to the fans. Their passionate cheering from the beginning to the end of the game allowed our players to shine on the court." He added, "To satisfy the fans, we must gift them a victory. We will work harder for that."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original