Won without Araujo, who suffered a knee injury! Woori Card's unstoppable three-game winning streak, full-set victory over Korean Air [Jangchung on-site review]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Woori Card successfully achieved complete revenge against Korean Air, who had inflicted the pain of a shutout loss in the KOVO Cup semifinals.

In the home game against Korean Air in the first round of the 2026~2027 V-League regular season men's division held at Seoul Jangchung Gymnasium on the 11th, Woori Card won with a set score of 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12).

With this, Woori Card, which has run up an unstoppable three-game winning streak since the opening, maintained its sole lead in the league with a record of 3 wins and 2 losses, and 8 points. Korean Air settled for 1 point, marking a record of 1 win and 2 losses, and 4 points.

The meeting between the two teams is 18 days since the KOVO Cup semifinals on the 24th of last month. At that time, Korean Air crushed Woori Card with a set score of 3-0 to advance to the finals. However, Woori Card rode a rising momentum with two consecutive wins after the start of the regular season, foreshadowing a changed appearance in this matchup.

With main scorer Araujo pulled from the second set due to right knee pain, substitute Kim Dong-young scored 16 points, Han Seong-jeong scored 18 points, and Park Jin-woo and Kim Hyeong-geun each contributed 12 points in a valiant effort against Korean Air.

For Korean Air, Jender Ketzinski (registered name Ketzinski) scored 20 points, Jeong Ji-seok scored 17 points, and Kim Gyu-min provided support with 12 points from the middle. However, as shown by the difference of 38 to 17, they self-destructed through frequent errors.

On this day, Coach Raphael Edwards' Korean Air fielded a first-set starting lineup of Kim Min-jae (middle blocker), Han Sun-soo (setter), Lim Jae-young (outside hitter), Kim Gyu-min (middle blocker), Ketzinski (outside hitter), Jeong Ji-seok (outside hitter), and Lee Sang-wook (libero).

In response, Coach Park Cheol-woo's Woori Card composed a first-set starting lineup of Han Tae-jun (setter), Kim Dong-min (outside hitter), Park Jin-woo (middle blocker), Raphael Araujo (opposite spiker), Han Seong-jeong (outside hitter), Martin Ahmadi (registered name Martin, middle blocker), and Oh Jae-seong (libero).

Korean Air's attacking power shone from the first set. Korean Air narrowly led in attack points 13-12, but took control of the flow by holding a significant advantage in blocking at 6-1. Meanwhile, Woori Card's attack success rate was limited to 42.85%. Korean Air executed efficient attacks with an attack success rate of 59.09%.

In particular, Korean Air's concentration stood out in the latter half of the set. Leading 23-17, they created a set point with Kim Gyu-min's quick attack. With Kim Dong-young's final back attack hitting the net, Korean Air took the first set.

In the second set, Woori Card did not back down easily either. By substituting Kim Dong-young for Araujo to make a change, Woori Card matched Korean Air closely by utilizing players such as Kim Heung-geun, Park Jin-woo, and Han Seong-jeong.

From 16-16, Martin succeeded in a quick attack point off a set from Han Tae-jun, taking the lead 17-16. With three consecutive points by Han Seong-jeong, Woori Card reached the 20th-point mark, and with consecutive service outs by Han Sun-soo and Jeong Han-yong, they secured a set point. Ultimately, Kim Dong-young successfully executed a back attack on a quick toss from Han Tae-jun, tying the sets at 1-1.

The third set saw an explosion of attacking power from Kim Hyeong-geun and Kim Dong-young, while Korean Air self-destructed through frequent errors. After Martin's quick attack succeeded, a ball passed by Han Tae-jun landed in the middle of the Korean Air court, extending the lead to 15-10. Subsequently, with consecutive successful attacks by Kim Hyeong-geun and Han Seong-jeong, Woori Card scored five points in a row to reach the 20th-point mark first.

During the set, Yamaamoto Ryu, who replaced Han Sun-soo, attempted to turn the momentum by serving quick attacks with one-handed tosses. However, as Kim Dong-young continued his attacks to create a set point and Jeong Han-yong committed a free-hit error, Woori Card took the third set. Woori Card had 4 errors in the third set, while Korean Air committed a whopping 12, failing to take control of the game flow.

Korean Air showed slightly more concentration in the fourth set. They did not let go of the lead gained from Kim Hyeong-geun's service error at 12-12. Amidst fierce pursuit by Kim Hyeong-geun and Kim Dong-young, Lim Dong-hyeok targeted open spots on the court to reach 20 points first. Woori Card chased until the end with a quick attack by Han Seong-jeong followed by a blocking point from Park Jin-woo, but Jeong Ji-seok skillfully pushed the ball into an open spot past the blockers, sending the match to a fifth set.

The early atmosphere of the fifth set favored Woori Card. Following a quick attack by Han Seong-jeong, Park Jin-woo blocked Kim Gyu-min's quick attack to secure an early lead. With two opposing blockers in front, Park Jin-woo touched the ball with his fingertips to score a reversal point. Finally, Han Seong-jeong ended the game with a service ace.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original