Kim Yeon-kyung‘s back attack efforts increased. Photo = Korea Volleyball Federation
Kim Yeon-kyung (36, Heungkuk Life Insurance) is producing ‘high altitude volleyball’ again.
The first set of the Heungkuk Life Insurance-IBK Business Bank match in the first round of the 2024-25 V-League Women’s Division held at the Hwaseong Sports Center in Gyeonggi-do on the 2nd. ‘Volleyball Empress’ Kim Yeon-kyung succeeded in scoring by cooperating with the set Lee Go-eun in a back attack when Heungkuk Life Insurance was losing 2-3. Two out of three IBK Business Bank blockers turned to the right and left, respectively, to prevent a flank attack. Choi Jeong-min, who was in the middle, was late in realizing Kim Yeon-kyung’s intention to attack him and he could not organize his jump properly.
Kim Yeon-kyung tried a back attack even when she was losing 9-13 in the third set. At 13-15, he went up from the back line of attack and tried a series of attacks that deceived the blockers and defenders. On this day, Kim Yeon-kyung attempted a back-up attack 7 times, the most this season. Heungkuk Life Insurance defeated IBK Industrial Bank with a set score of 3-0 and won their fourth consecutive game in the opening game.
Heungkuk Life Insurance ace Kim Yeon-kyung (right) and sitter Lee Go-eun. Photo = Korea Volleyball Federation
Kim Yeon-kyung is hot this season too. As the 2nd, he played in 4 games and was 1st in attack success rate (47.59%) and 5th in points (74).
What catches the most attention is the reverse attack rating, which is ranked 10 (27.78% success rate). This is a category in which Kim Yeon-kyung has not been in the top 10 for two consecutive seasons.
Kim Yeon-kyung was also good at attacking back. Since his first season in League V (2005-2006), he has been in the top 6 in this division for 4 consecutive years. Even in the 2020-21 season, when he returned from a short break from living abroad, he was in 6th place.
In the last two seasons, back attack attempts have decreased significantly. This is due to the skills and tendencies of the owner. Kim Da-sol and Lee Won-jeong (currently Pepper Savings Bank), who played as starting players for Heungkuk Life Insurance in the past two seasons, preferred side attacks. The throw for the back-end attack was mainly directed at foreign players with high attack scores. Last season, except for Kim Yeon-kyung, there were only three Heungkuk Life Insurance domestic players who tried to attack back. The number of times is 8.
Heungkuk Life Insurance coach Marcello Abondanza has emphasized since his first season in office, “If the back attack is good, we can reduce the dependence on side attacks.” Even Kim Yeon-kyung expressed her frustration at the end of the last season when the frequency of back attacks dropped, saying, “When he trains, Kim Yeon-kyung often uses back attacks. ( In real play) it’s the choice of the set.”
Lee Go-eun uses both side and middle attacks. Photo = Korea Volleyball Federation
The Heungkuk Life Insurance market is undergoing a major change. Lee Go-eun, who was acquired through trade, often creates not only side attacks but also central attacks such as quick attacks and back attacks. Last season, when Lee Go-eun played for Pepper Savings Bank, he returned attacking throws not only to ‘domestic ace’ Park Jeong-ah but also to other strikers such as Park Kyung- hyun, Park Eun-seo, and Lee Han-bi.
This season, Kim Yeon-kyung attempted a total of 18 back-to-back attacks in the four games she played. 4.5 times per game. The reverse attack rate among total attack attempts also recorded 12.4%, an increase from last season, which was 7.7%.
Blockers and defenders have no choice but to be aware of Kim Yeon-kyung, who participates in the attack even when she is in the backyard. Heungkuk Life sitter Lee Go-eun can take advantage of this to provide diversity in member distribution. Heungkuk Life Insurance’s firepower, which added attack lanes, is expected to grow even hotter.
Reporter Ahn Hee-soo anheesoo@edaily.co.kr
2024-11-03 21:06:00
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