KOVO 2013/2014 - Korean League

    EX 0X3 GS (13:25, 13:25, 17:25)
    A walk over. Fawcett didn't play.
    GS's setter was named MVP.


    Highlights



    Heungkuk 2X3 IBK (21:25, 25:20, 25:23, 17:25, 6:15)
    The best match so far. Vasileva was unstoppable in the 3rd game. After that, she looked tired.
    MVP: Karina Ocasio


    Highlights


    One of the most interesting things is that the main scorer of some teams are attached at the reception line (Vasileva and Karina). Considering foreigners are really used here, a good serving would harm these teams. Anyway, Heungkuk is looking much better this season while IBK remains a threat.

    I'm waiting for further informations, but maybe it has something to do with virus. Last month my brownser was pointing to me the website was trying to install several files without my permission and that wasn't the first time.

    some highlight
    2013 11 02 Daejeon KGC - Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders
    http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjMzODkwOTI0.html
    2013 11 02Hwaseong IBK Altos - GS Caltex Seoul
    http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjMzODk1MjQw.html
    2013 11 03Seongnam Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-pass Zenith - Hyundai Hillstate
    http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjMzODg0ODE2.html
    2013 11 06Seongnam Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-pass Zenith - Daejeon KGC
    http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjMzODg0MDE2.html
    2013 11 07Hwaseong IBK Altos - Hyundai Hillstate
    http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjMzODgyNzM2.html
    2013 11 09Seongnam Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-pass Zenith - GS Caltex Seoul
    http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjMzODMyNzky.html
    2013 11 10Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders - Hwaseong IBK Altos
    http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjMzODMxNDYw.html

    Cos if one day you wake up and find that your missing me, And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be....

    Heungkuk 3X2 EX (21:25, 25:27, 25:22, 25:19, 15:10)
    Congratulations to EX! I know playing without Fawcett is hard and they nailed 1 point from this. :thumbup:
    Heungkuk is playing much better this season. Vasileva stepped up their skills and also did their new coach.


    Highlights


    Hyunday 3X0 KGC (28:26, 25:20, 25:23)
    I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the match wasn't good technically speaking. Lots of unforced errors, mainly by KGC.
    Both foreigners (Joycinha and Yeliz) wasn't in a good shape today and set them wasn't a safe call many times. Koreans hitters were fine. Hwang Youn-joo played her best match so far and I'm happy for her.
    I notice Yeliz doesn't look comfortable hitting from position 4. It's an issue because Hwang hits comes usually from 2. They changed position sometimes and the turkish looked more confident to side out from 2 also. Big issue here in my opinion.


    Highlights


    Hwang's interview (Sorry! I've got no translation of that)


    If I'm not wrong, KGC was defeated for the first time. I wish all the best to them!
    After the championship two seasons ago, last season was a total mess. They were so happy with the new team that they decide to film two videos entitled 'Rebirth'. :box: Don't give up, guys! Everything is gonna be alright. :win:



    About today, Baek was hitting awesome again with a few shanks. :thumbup:

    Apparently it looks like Vasileva is the only player her team got :down: I just watched some highlights and had a look at her status and it looks too much. In the last two matches she hit more than 180 balls :white: I really wonder if her arms are still availble. plus, she has been a big part of reception as well...

    In the match against IBK, I swear I thought for a little while she was going to break the world record. She was so happy and unstoppable at that time... but everything has changed from the 4th game onwards. She felt visibly jaded and couldn't go on.
    Whitney Dosty, the american, was also overused last season, but she's physically stronger and didn't feel that much.
    Heungkuk doesn't have good hitters, instead of the foreigner one, and opponents are serving on her. She's playing well untill the 3rd game, but then it has been too much to her so far.

    Yeah I can see that. I dont know if I'm able to compare it to this, but Molnar had got a serious injury on her shoulder after playing in Japan and now she's basically like a second libero. As well as Flier, she played in Japan one season and her level had dropped down a lot and now she turned to be a worse player. I just remember one match that Renata Colombo had hit 95 balls and her teammates were just relying on her.


    Seriously, I'm pretty used to one-player played volleyball however still think it's too extreme.

    The american player of KGC didn't play almost the whole season last year, but I don't know if it was related to their game.
    I think japanese training is more intense, complete and probably physically demanding than the korean volleyball. I recall an interview with the Brazilian player, Joycinha, and she was saying they don't study the opponents like all around the world. Just go there and play more like it I guess. It seems their training isn't too demanding also, at least like the japanese one.
    This season teams relies on koreans a little bit, of course in comparison with last seasons, what just doesn't make a huge difference. Anyway, teams like Hyundai, KGC, IBK and GS have good korean hitters and are using them more while Heungkuk (Vasileva) and EX (Fawcett) haven't. Fawcett is physically strong and doesn't have got any injury season 2013/2013. It's hard to know if Vasileva will have. I've got the same of you watching her playing. Against IBK, she was taken off in the 4th game and a doctor came to her. I couldn't say if she had something. She came back in the 5th and didn't look injured. I think it was only muscular pain for the repetitive effort.

    Thanks for the info. Hopefully she manages to stay healthy until her contract is finished. To me, it is just incredible that her setter just keeps setting for Elitsa without even thinking...and the coach doesn't get annoyed nor angry about relying on one player.


    I'm pretty sure that Elitsa is a mentally strong girl and perhaps will be stronger soon but at some points, I'm worried about her health. I mean hitting 90 balls each match is some number. Volleyball is doomed to be called 'A team sport' however Elitsa's team does not even care about it.


    The team Fawcett playing for is not better either. I wonder what made her to play there again.

    I recorded this match Hyunday 3X0 KGC 20131114
    :olympia:

    Cos if one day you wake up and find that your missing me, And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be....

    Rosters with numbers updated by clubs' websites and Korean wikipedia ^^

    Gold medal - World League 2013 Prediction Game
    Bronze medal - World League 2012 Prediction Game