Heungkuk Life almost lost three points, but ‘game changer’ Park Eunseo saved the day
Going into the final game of the first round, Heungkuk Sinsaeng’s goal was to win. However, they wanted to get three points instead of two, and it was Park Eun-seo, who was brought in as a one-point server, who turned things around.
Heungkuk Life, coached by Marcello Abondanza, won 3-1 (26-24 25-15 25-19 28-26) in straight sets against IBK IBK in the first round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Women’s Division at the Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on Thursday, earning three points.
After trading a set apiece with IBK, Heungkuk Life secured a point with a third-set victory and looked to close out the match in the fourth set. However, they started to falter in the middle of the fourth set. At one point, the gap with IBK was 16-21.
After a timed attack by Kim Yeon-kyung brought the score back to one point, Heungkuk Life inserted Park Eun-seo as a one-point server instead of Kim Soo-ji at 17-21. Park shook her opponent with another sharp serve, forcing Hwang Min-kyung to fail to receive. After Pyo Seung-joo’s reception, Shin Yeon-kyung attempted an under-toss, and Tokoku Reina (registered name Reina) pushed the ball over the net for a point.
Kim Ho-cheol of IBK tried to break the momentum by calling a quick timeout, but it was to no avail. Hwang Min-kyung’s reception was shaky on Park Eun-seo’s serve, and Reina added another point with a block after Pyo Seung-joo’s attack was blocked. At 20-21, the gap between the two teams was completely erased when Kim Mi-yeon digged out a spike from Brittany Abecrombie (registered name Abecrombie), who tried to back-attack after Park Eun-seo’s serve, and Kim Yeon-kyung made a point.
IBK took the lead again at 21-21 on a back-attack by Abecrombie, but a breakthrough on Park Eun-seo’s serve gave Heungkuk Life three match points as they tied the fourth set at 28-26 after three deuce battles. Had it not been for Park’s serve and the bench’s efforts, Heungkuk Life would have likely gone to a fifth set. 보스토토
Park Eun-seo, who has played in four matches since the start of the season, has been a one-point server. Although he doesn’t get much playing time, mostly in the mid-to-late game, he made his presence known with his serve and showed promise for the future.
After the match, Coach Abondanza said, “Park Eun-seo has actually been doing well since training, and I’ve been using her as a one-point server in the last few matches. When I looked back at the first round, I thought the substitutes did a good job in terms of tactics, and I thought Park would do a good job in terms of mentality and attitude. I’m happy that she contributed to the victory.”