Pepper Savings Bank halted Heungkuk Life on its way to the top spot.
Pepper Savings Bank won the Dodram 2023-24 V-League match against Heungkuk Life 3-1 (18-25 25-22 25-23 25-14) in straight sets at Gwangju Pepper Stadium on Monday.
Pepper Savings Bank was led by Yasmin’s 38 points with a high attack percentage (53.73%), while Park Jung-ah (16 points) and Phillips (10 points) also contributed to the victory. 메이저 토토사이트 Heungkuk Life was led by Kim Yeon-kyung (19 points), but Willow Johnson (15 points) was not as strong as expected and committed 20 errors.
The first set was easily won by Heungkuk Life, who were without their main setter Lee Won-jeong, with Park Jung-ah serving on target. At this point, things were going well for Heungkuk Life.
The second set was different. Pepper Savings Bank’s reception was still shaky, but their blocking and defense came alive. Setter Park Sa-rah and Yasmin’s attack burst into action, turning the score to 9-8. With the momentum in their favor, Pepper Savings Bank racked up points through the attacks of Lee Han-bi, Yasmin, and Park Jung-ah. Meanwhile, Heungkuk Life collapsed with five errors.
After winning the second set, Pepper Savings Bank didn’t let up in the third set. Yasmin’s offense, which scored 11 points in the second set, continued, and Heungkuk Life’s reception faltered. Even with Willow out and Kim Mi-yeon in, they couldn’t get past Pepper Savings Bank. Kim’s attack was also blocked by Yasmin, and the score gap widened significantly. Pepper Savings Bank fought back to tie the score at 23-23, but a successful attack by Yasmin and an attack error by Kim took the third set.
With a 2-1 lead in the set, Pepper Savings Bank took a 14-7 lead in the fourth set as the Park Jung-ah and Yasmin duo showed their power, and Heungkuk Life, whose reception was shaky due to Willow’s sluggishness, failed to catch up. After winning the fourth set, Pepper Savings Bank earned its first win of the season against Heungkuk Life.
An unexpected win. Pepper Savings Bank, who are in last place, have played Heungkuk Life five times this season without a win. There were few expectations that the underdogs would be able to catch Heungkuk Life, who had recently moved to the top of the table. Before the game, most experts and fans alike were predicting a victory for Heungkuk Life, saying, “Heungkuk Life has a chance to climb back to the top.”
As if to mock these predictions, Pepper Savings Bank took home three points instead of two.
With Pepper Savings Bank’s victory over Heungkuk Saengsim in the middle of Round 6, the race for the regular season title is set to heat up. After losing to the bottom-ranked Pepper Savings Bank, Heungkuk Life (73-26 W-8 L) is in second place without a single point, while Hyundai E&C (74-24 W-9 L), which has played one game less, remains in first place.
Hyundai E&C can breathe a sigh of relief after losing to Korea Expressway Corporation in straight sets in their previous match, which resulted in just one point.
The loss puts Heungkuk Life Insurance, which had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead, at a disadvantage. If Hyundai E&C defeated IBK on the 9th and Pepper Savings Bank on the 16th, it would have a better chance of winning the regular season title even if it lost to Heungkuk Life on the 12th.
The loss to Pepper Savings Bank in Round 6 could go down as the most heartbreaking and worst loss of the season for Heungkuk Life, which was on the verge of winning the regular season title.