“Our players are not that good yet, but we are leading the league, so I think we are unknowingly complacent”
Woori Card Woori WON suffered a 0-3 (22-25, 14-25, 16-25) shutout loss against the Korean Air Jumbos in the fourth round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon, South Korea on Friday.
The loss was the second straight for URICARD, who are currently in first place in the league (15-6, 42 points). Matei led the way with 13 points (38.7% attack percentage), and Kim Jae-hwi (5), Han Sung-jung (5), Kim Ji-han (4), Park Jin-woo (3), Kim Dong-min (3), Song Myung-geun (2), and Issei (1) contributed evenly, but the team collapsed on itself in the second and third sets due to 19 unforced errors. The first loss of the season for Korean Air, who were undefeated until the third round, was even more painful.
Woori Card coach Shin Young-cheol said in a post-match interview, “It’s the coach’s responsibility to lose the game. For some reason, the players don’t seem to be playing well since the last game. Our players are not that good yet, but we are leading the league, so I think they are overconfident. Of course, the coach has to manage, but more importantly, the players have to be able to manage themselves. With injuries and colds, I don’t think the team atmosphere is good, so we need to recover quickly,” he said after the match.
Kim Jae-hwi played the full game and scored five points (62.5% offensive success rate). Coach Shin Young-cheol said, “He came out and played hard. I’m grateful for his hard work every day even though he didn’t feel like playing well.” Regarding foreign player Issei (1 point) in the Asian Quarterfinals, Shin said, “Issei’s body is naturally heavy, so I tried to put her in an apogee, but it didn’t work. Her swing and form are already slow,” he explained.
Foreign player Matei only scored 13 points on the night (38.7% offensive success rate). It was a disappointing performance for a foreign player. This is in contrast to Korean Air’s Lim Dong-hyuk, who led his team to victory with 27 points (73.3% offensive success rate). Coach Shin Young-cheol said, “If we make a mistake, it could be an atmosphere that could lead to a sweep. It’s okay if the players have good individual skills, but we don’t have many players like that. The center is fine, but the four most important players, including Matei, are the most worrisome,” Shin said, expressing concern for the rest of the season.
