The Samsung Fire Bluefangs came up short in their first game back from the All-Star break.
The team lost their fifth round match against Woori Card in the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Men’s Division by a set score of 1-3 (27-25, 22-25, 22-25, 14-25) at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea. Third-ranked Samsung Fire suffered its 10th loss of the season (15 wins, 40 points).
Prior to this game, first-place Woori Card and second-place Korean Air each had 44 points. With a win, 토토 Samsung Fire would have a chance to make a comeback in Rounds 5 and 6.
The rebuilding is complete. The team used the All-Star break well, with Yosubani returning from Spain after receiving treatment for his shoulder. Samsung Fire head coach Kim Sang-woo said, “He’s much better now. I was confident in my physical condition, so I prepared motivatedly. I expected him to be fine.”
However, there was a major setback. Middle blocker Kim Jun-woo suffered an ankle injury in the previous match. A major injury that will keep him out for eight weeks. Coach Kim said, “We need a front line. I feel the loss of Kim Jun-woo, but I can’t help it. I hope Jeon Jin-sun will come in and do more than that.”
In the first set, Kim shook up Woori Card‘s reception with strong serves. She gave up an early lead, but quickly recovered to win the game. Yosubani was in great form and took charge of the scoring. However, a series of unforced errors in the second set set us back. After losing the second set, the momentum shifted in our favor.
Woori Card’s blocking wall was also high. On this day, Samsung Fire conceded 15 points through blocking alone.
After the match, Samsung Fire head coach Kim Sang-woo said, “We won the first set, but the truth is that Woori Card was not good in the first set. We shouldn’t have been dragged down. We made a lot of errors from the start. We had a good situation in the second and third sets, but we kept having problems with the toss and timing. We didn’t play well today.”
“Shin was too shaky, so Kim Woo-jin came in. He did well except for blocking. I can’t help but feel weak in that position. I think Lee Yoon-soo needs to grow up quickly.”