Hyundai E&C’s long run of bad luck is over. Yang Hyo-jin beamed, and Kim Yeon-kyung, who dreamed of a “last dance,” struggled to control her emotions and congratulated her best friend on her victory.
Women’s professional volleyball team Hyundai E&C finally lifted the championship trophy after defeating Heungkuk Life 3-2 (22-25 25-17 23-25 25-23 15-7) in the best-of-five championship match at the Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on Monday. The outcome of the championship match, which was expected to be a tight contest, was ultimately unfavorable to Heungkuk Life, who had physical difficulties.
Hyundai E&C has been plagued by a string of bad luck. The 2019-2020 and 2021-20 V-League Women’s seasons, in which the team had a good chance of advancing to the championship game as the top team in the regular season, ended prematurely due to COVID-19. Hyundai E&C, who were the leaders at the time of the suspension, were awarded the title of regular season champions, but it was a tarnished medal.
After leading the league until midway through last season, the team suffered another setback when key players, including foreign striker Yasmin Bedardt, were sidelined with injuries and lost the top spot in the regular season to Heungkuk Life late in the season. After losing two games to Korea Expressway Corporation in the playoffs, Hyundai E&C made an early exit from the Spring Feast.
Hyundai E&C had a chance to shed the “bad luck” label once and for all in the 2023-2024 season, and this time they didn’t miss it. The battle for the regular season championship was fierce until the very end. After narrowly edging out Heungkuk Life by a single point, Hyundai E&C faced Heungkuk Life, who had defeated Jeong Kwan-jang in the playoffs, for the crown.
The team had a 2-4 record against its regular-season opponents, but the championship trophy was a different story. Led by Leticia Moma Basoko and Yang Hyo-jin-Da-hyun, the “Twin Towers,” Hyundai E&C won the first and second games in straight sets and continued its momentum in the third game.
The third set was another full-set affair, with Heungkuk Life leading and Hyundai E&C chasing. After dropping the first set, Hyundai E&C won the second set but dropped the third set and 카지노사이트 looked like they were going to take the match to a fourth set, but they rallied in the fourth set and carried that momentum into the fifth set.
At 12-6 in the fifth set, HMC sealed the victory with a sensational spike from Yang Hyo-jin, followed by a straight attack from Moma for a touchdown. The championship point was capped off by Moma’s right side attack.
On and off the court, the players and coaching staff hugged each other in celebration of the victory. The fans, wearing yellow shirts and lining one side of the away court, also cheered in unison.
Hyundai E&C won its second overall title in 13 years after the 2010-2011 season.
Kim Yeon-kyung’s dreams of returning to the domestic scene and winning the title once again have been dashed. Kim stopped short of the title last year, pushing back her retirement by a year, but this time she failed to reach the pinnacle. Kim’s dreams of a ‘last dance’ were cut short by her best friend Yang Hyo-jin.