Hyundai E&C head coach Kang Sung-hyung, who won the professional volleyball championship, said he became a championship coach thanks to his good players.
Hyundai E&C won 3-2 (22-25 25-17 23-25 25-23 15-7) against Heungkuk Life in the best-of-five best-of-three women’s championship match of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League at the Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on Monday.
After coming from behind to win the first, second and third games of the championship in full sets, Hyundai E&C won its third crown in eight seasons. It was also their second overall title.
It was the first time Hyundai E&C was able to claim the title of “champions” after twice finishing first in the regular season due to COVID-19.
MVP Moma (38 points), Yang Hyo-jin (18 points), Lee Da-hyun (13 points), Wipawi (11 points), and Jeong Jung-yoon (10 points) led the team to victory.
Head coach Kang Sung-hyung said, “We went to five sets again today. There was a lot of physical pressure, but I’m grateful that the players handled it well. Thinking about the regular season, I could see how important the schedule was. It could have been a tough situation if we had to play the playoffs, but we had time to rest before the championship,” he said, analyzing the reasons for the victory.
“Because of COVID-19, we had two good chances and didn’t make it to the championship. We were not lucky. It’s more meaningful that we did it in three.”
He said he was encouraged by the fact that he was not considered a championship contender before the season.
“The weakness of foreign players, especially on the left side, was revealed in the pre-season practice games. So I heard that Hyundai E&C would be difficult this season. It was difficult at the beginning of the season, but we endured it well, and foreign player Moma held strong until the end, and she kept her position well.”
The most challenging aspect of being the women’s head coach has been communicating with the players.
“Sometimes I want to get angry with them, but I can’t because of my image (of not getting angry),” he laughed, before adding, “I’ve been in charge of the women’s team for three years, but communication has become more difficult. I think I need to learn more. We have older players on the team, but we also have players like my daughter. So I ask her, ‘What should I do in this case?’ And she helps me. And the players are not the same as they used to be, so when I tell them ‘dad gags,’ they don’t laugh anymore,” he said honestly.
During the victory ceremony, he was surrounded by players and got hit, which hurt.
He said, “I got hit a lot. I think I have bruises. I think they were emotional. I think the players who didn’t play in the championship match hit me especially hard. Lee Da-hyun hit me so hard. She 바카라사이트 hit me harder than a man, so I told her to stop. The last one was from Yang Hyo-jin,” she laughed.
She also thanked the foreign players.
“I’ve been watching Moma for two years. I thought it was okay for her to come to our team because she hasn’t had any major injuries, her success rate, and her scoring power. Our team has height in the middle, so I saw the advantages of Moma over her disadvantages.” He continued, “Wipawi’s position was important. When Jeong Jung-yoon and Ko Ye-rim were struggling at the beginning of the season, Wipawi came in and gave us a sense of stability. He is a good player, so he quickly integrated into the team. I think the signing of Wipawi was a godsend,” he explained.
The winning coach said he was honored.
“There is a high probability that I will not win a championship while coaching the players. As a player, I won two championships. It’s very difficult to win a championship as a coach. I feel honored to have met the players well. I’m very grateful to them,” he said, giving credit to the players.