“I saw them overcome each other.”

Women’s professional volleyball Korea Expressway Corporation head coach Kim Jong-min smiled broadly.

Korea Expressway Corporation won 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 26-24) at home against Pepper Savings Bank in the second round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League at Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium 토토 on Friday afternoon. It was their second win of the season, following a 3-0 first-round victory over Jeonggwanjang on Nov. 2.

On the day, Vanya Vukiric (real name Vukiric) had a 29-point performance, including two blocks and one serve. She had a 41.4% attack share, but an attacking efficiency of 33.85%. This was higher than her opponent Yasmin Bedardt’s 18.75% attack efficiency.

Tanacha Sooksot, also known as Tanacha, scored 16 points, including one block, and Jeon Sae-yan scored 10 points on her serve at 24-24 in the fourth set.

There were crunches. After taking the first and second sets of the day, Korea Expressway Corporation struggled in the third set, falling behind 9-18. In the fourth set, they were down 23-24 in a one-point game, but they turned it around. Bae Yoo-na’s staggered attack tied the score at 24-24 and Jeon Sae-yan’s serve made it 25-24. Tanacha scored an open attack point to complete the victory. It was the first win at home this season.

After the match, head coach Kim Jong-min said, “The first and second sets went as we had prepared. However, I think I had some anxiety in the third set, and I changed my ball height and speed from then on. I think I had some anxiety because I lost twice after winning the set 2-0. I hope I can overcome it,” he said.

In the first round of the tournament, Korea Expressway Corporation lost to IBK and GS Caltex 2-3 after leading 2-0 in the first set. This time, after dropping the third set, the team fought hard in the fourth set. They managed to pull off a fourth-set deuce. “I saw the players trying to overcome each other,” said Kim. There were a lot of things that didn’t work today, but I knew they wouldn’t go down without a fight,” Kim said with a smile.

Tanacha, who has been a consistent starter, scored 16 points, but his offensive efficiency was low at 21.43%. Still, Kim said, “Our offensive style is short shots and hitting. We’re trying to fix that. Still, we had a lot of offensive points that changed the atmosphere in important situations. We’re doing well. The same goes for blocking and defense. He is the most active player in the team.”

As for the onslaught of Vukiric, “His height and power are dominant in the country. I’m not good at controlling my strength and weakness, attacking with blocking, or handling bad balls. He’s doing well now, and he’s trying to learn. I think there are some things that can be improved step by step. If she continues to play like she is now, she will grow even more.”

In addition, Korea Expressway Corporation’s fastball percentage was only 6.6% on the day. It was lower than Pepper Savings Bank’s 15.7%. Kim said, “That’s the challenge. It was the same last year, we had more mobile offense than fast breaks. We prepare for it in practice, but I think (Lee) Yoon Jung-jeong should be bold enough to solve it.”

Finally, Kim smiled in triumph. “We won after a long time,” he said, and left the interview room.

Meanwhile, Pepper Savings Bank head coach Joe Trinzi was disappointed. “There were a lot of close games, but we couldn’t get the points and lost the game. It’s frustrating. It could have been different if we hadn’t made a mistake at the crucial moment,” he said, adding, “Park Jung-ah seems to be getting better every week.”

With the three valuable points at home, Korea Expressway Corporation moved from sixth to fifth place with a 2-6 record (9 points). Pepper Savings Bank remained at the bottom of the table with a 2-6 record (5 points).