Korean Air finished the tournament in 7th place.
On the 21st (local time),스포츠토토 Korean Air met again in the 7th-8th place match of the 2023 AVC (Asian Volleyball Confederation) Men’s Club Championship held at ISA Sports City Stadium in Manama, Bahrain, with a set score of 3-0 (25) to Bayanghongor, Mongolia. -21, 25-23, 25-18) won.
With this victory, Korean Air finished the tournament in 7th place. The overall record, including 2 wins and 1 loss in the group stage and 2 wins and 2 losses after the quarterfinals, recorded 4 wins and 3 losses. Korean Air was unable to play on the court with a large number of key players in this tournament. Foreign player Lincoln fell out due to the expiration of the ITC (International Transfer Agreement), and setter Han Seon-seon, middle blocker Kim Gyu-min, and libero Jung Sung-min could not stand on the court due to rehabilitation. Outside hitters Jeong Ji-seok and Kwak Seung-seok played partly, and libero Oh Eun-ryeol also missed the last game.
However, it was clear that players who had not been on the court much, such as Lim Dong-hyuk, Lee Jun, Jeong Han-yong, and Jeong Jin-hyeok, were motivated through their performance in this tournament.
Korean Air’s starting lineup for the final match consisted of opposite striker Lee Joon, outside hitters Jeong Han-yong and Kwak Seung-seok, middle blocker Jin Ji-wi and Kim Min-jae, setter Jeong Jin-hyeok, and libero Song Min-geun.
Bayanghongor of Mongolia unleashed an attack centering on Batsuri Batur and Kangal Tamira, who challenged the Asia Quarter, while Bayarsaihan was absent.
With the start of the first set , Korean Air’s attacks were continuously blocked by the opponent’s blocking, and they were pushed back to 3-10. After that, Kim Min-jae succeeded in scoring consecutively, but the attack using the center three times in a row was caught on the opponent’s blocking wall.
Korean Air narrowed the distance to 8-11 with Kwak Seung-seok’s serve ace and opponent Tamira’s offense.
Korean Air, who succeeded in scoring 15-13 with Jin Ji-wi’s blocking goal and Jeong Jin-hyeok’s three consecutive serve aces, maintained a 21-20 lead with Jeong Han-yong’s strike from the rear and a front-running goal. Korean Air won the first set with a blocking goal following Jeong Han-yong’s offensive goal. The score was 25-21. A tense development continued until
the second set , 14-14. Afterwards, Korean Air took a 1-point lead with Jeong Jin-hyeok’s witty goal, and Jeong Han-yong’s rear-guard strike took a 19-18 lead. Kim Min-jae’s central score was added once again, and the scoreboard pointed to 22-20.
At the end of the set, Korean Air touched the set point 24-22 with Kwak Seung-seok’s witty goal and Jeong Han-yong’s left-handed blow. Lee Joon finished the set with a clean score. The score was 25-23.
Last 3 sets . Korean Air, who caught the trend, took the lead with a double score of 14-7 thanks to Jung Han-yong’s strong hit, Jeong Jin-hyeok’s serve score, and Jin Ji-wi’s unblocking score. Jin Ji-wi once again smiled with a blocked score. Kwak Seung-seok’s blocking goal and the opponent’s error led Korean Air to 20-12, and Lee Joon’s blocking goal and offensive goal finished the game winning.
It was the moment when Korean Air wrapped up the schedule for the Asian Club Championship by playing 7 games in a short period of time, mainly with players who had few opportunities to participate in the V-League last season.