“I cried a lot. I know it’s a practice for us to be good, but… we were crying just looking at each other’s faces.”
It was probably the best start to the season for the team, and the players remembered the hardships they had endured after the cool first victory that brought out gasps even from the press box.
The team won 3-0 in straight sets and a shutout against IBK at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon on Sunday.
At the center of it all were Mega, who led the team’s offense, and Park Hye-min, who was in charge of the defense. Mega was full of energy throughout the match, hitting hard from the air and scoring a team-high 21 points. Park piled up impressive defensive stats, including a 72.7% reception efficiency (8-of-11) and all 16 of her digs. Seven kills were a bonus.
Head coach Ko Hee-jin said, “We had a really tough off-season. I’m grateful to the players for overcoming it.” “We trained a lot in the offseason, so it’s great to win the opening game,” the two players agreed.
Park Hye-min, in particular, said, “We practiced a lot. I got scolded a lot and learned a lot,” and “I cried a lot because it was hard. Just looking at each other’s faces, tears poured out. I thought we were practicing to be good and fill in the gaps. I know, but I cried a lot because it was so hard.”
Mega also said, “At the beginning, we lacked a lot of defense. It’s a natural progression because we practiced a lot in Korea. I cried a lot,” she said, adding, “The coach wants results that you can enjoy on the court. I can’t put a number on it, but it was a really surprising and hard training that I’ve never experienced before.”메이저사이트
The most memorable moment of the day was the serve that hit Shin in the face. “I felt a little sorry for her,” he said. He showed off his quick adaptability by saying nouns such as ‘manager’, ‘defense’, and ‘coach’ in Korean. “Even if I don’t know the meaning, I just say the words I hear in Korean and my sisters tell me,” he smiled. Park Hye-min commented, “She seems to be the most perceptive in our team.”
In the offseason, Park changed her number from 11 to 10. She followed coach Lee Kang-ju’s advice to make a change. “I was always number 10 when I was in school,” she said.
Her aggressive spike serve was also impressive. Park Hye-min said, “I said to myself, ‘Be confident’ a lot. I hit it while thinking about ‘confidently,’ and it went in,” she said, smiling broadly.