The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) held the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Awards at The K Hotel in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul at 4 p.m. on the 8th.
The MVP of the women’s regular league was Kim Yeon-koung of Heungkuk Life Insurance. She is the sixth MVP of her career.
Heungkuk Life Insurance, which went straight to the championship game as the No. 1 team in the regular league last season, faced Korea Expressway Corporation, which beat Hyundai Engineering & Construction in the playoffs. Heungkuk Life Insurance, which far outperformed the Korea Expressway Corporation in the third place with 80 points to 62 points in the regular league, seemed to be on its way to the unified championship by capturing both the first and second matches of the championship game. At that time, Heungkuk Life Insurance’s step down to Gimcheon with only one win left was light, as the team that captured the first two championship games in the history of the V-League won with a 100% chance of winning.
However, he lacked hindsight. Heungkuk Life Insurance grabbed the first set in all of its third, fourth and fifth games, but lost two, three and four sets in succession to collapse. Heungkuk Life Insurance suffered humiliating loss as it suffered a reverse sweep (three consecutive losses after two wins) in the championship game for the first time in both men and women since its launch in the V-League in 2005.
After finishing second in the regular league this season, Kim Yeon-kyung and Heungkuk Life Insurance beat Jeong Kwan-jang in the playoffs and reached the championship game once again. Although Hyundai Engineering & Construction was the No. 1 player, Heungkuk Life Insurance played in the first round with an advantage in that it won four wins and two losses against the regular league and won three games at home to Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
However, the team did not have a good finish again this time. Heungkuk Life Insurance grabbed the first and second sets in a row in the first round match, which was an away match, but lost three, four, and five sets to Hyundai Engineering & Construction, breaking a jinx that felt good about the team. It then lost the second and third rounds, and was frustrated again at the brink of winning the championship.
Kim nevertheless won the MVP of this season’s women’s regular league. She was recognized for her contribution to leading Heungkuk Life to the championship match by ranking sixth in score (775 points) and second in attack.
When she won the Best 7 as an outside heater before winning the MVP award, she said, “I tried to join another team as a free agent last year, but Coach Avon Dan-ja promised me that I would stay at Heungkuk Life Insurance. But I can’t thank him (laughs) because I don’t think he kept his promise.”
When winning the MVP award, Kim said, “I sincerely thank you. I didn’t expect to receive the MVP award because my team was the runner-up. We need to make more efforts to bring the quality of Korean volleyball. I thank the team officials, the coaching staff, the coaches, and my colleagues.”
“I thought I would get it because Yang Hyo-jin was nominated (laughs). Personally, I think I’m better than Yang Hyo-jin. I want to say well to myself and everyone here.”
Finally, he said, “Next season, I decided to try once more for many fans.”
BY: 스포츠토토