Bukirich receiving efficiency 44%; fell in love with colleagues... "easy to receive receiving"
Bukirich receiving efficiency 44%; fell in love with colleagues... "easy to receive receiving"
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Jeong Kwan-jang of women's professional volleyball is enjoying the Bukirich effect considerably. The "firefighter" that appears when Banya Bukirich (registered name Bukirich) is shaken is also reassuring.
In the semi-finals of the 2024 Tongyeong-Dodram Cup Professional Volleyball Championship held at Tongyeong Gymnasium on Monday afternoon, Chung beat GS Caltex by 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-17, 15-10) to clinch the final match. He will be on the final stage for the first time in five years since 2019. He lifted the trophy of the 2018 World Cup. He is aiming to regain the top spot for the first time in six years.
Bukirich scored 21 points on the day, including three blocks. Apogit Megawatti Puttiwi (registered Mega) also showed strong performance by scoring 21 points each. Pyo Seung-joo and Jeong Ho-young also scored 17 and 11 points, respectively, to help their team win.
Bukirich was an Apogit player for the Korea Expressway Corporation last season. He will receive the nomination of Jeong Kwan-jang as the second overall pick in this year's tryout draft for foreign players. He is joining the outside heater in order to coexist with Mega. He is also participating in receiving.
Bukirich made his debut as an outside heater in a cup competition. He also displayed stable performance in the semifinal by scoring 44 percent of receiving efficiency. After Pyo Seung-joo, who attempted 43 receptions, he attempted 27 receptions, failing to score one, and receiving 13 correctly. In the fourth set, he struggled, hardly succeeding in attack. He was substituted for Lee Sun-woo at 9-9, but he performed his part by scoring four points alone in the fifth set.
When Bukirich faltered, Lee Sun-woo played the role of a "game changer." Thanks to this, Jeong Kwan-jang took the fourth set, and he was able to successfully advance to the final after overcoming the crisis of the fifth set.
Lee Young-taek, head coach of GS Caltex, also commented, "Bukirich endured receiving better than expected."
"I'm not used to Bukirich's receiving and Mega's playing in the apogit. It would be nice if Bukirich's offensive rhythm matches well while receiving, but sometimes they don't match as they did today. Still, I did my part in the fifth set. I think it will be a valuable experience for Bukirich himself," coach Ko Hee-jin said.
Bukirich took a break after replacement at the beginning of the fourth set. "I asked coach Kim Jung-hwan to listen to Bukirich's heart. When I attacked, I hung on because I had entered beforehand, so I was blocked. Let's find the rhythm of the attack. You might not have noticed it on your face, but you must have had a mental agitation. Also, because Sunwoo went in and did a good job, I was able to do it with time. I wanted Bukirich to do it today like the mega of the Heungkuk Life Insurance match, but I'm satisfied," he said.
Lee Sun-woo also mentioned it. "I have high expectations for Lee and Park Hye-min in yesterday's game as well. Lee Sun-woo is preparing for everything, as he will play his role wherever he enters the Bukirich, Mega, and Pyo Seung-joo positions this season. He served as a game changer. Thank you to the players."
His teammates who are sweating along with his "new face" Bukirich could not hide their surprise. "When I practice receiving, I often get a 'nice serve' easily. As a receiving player, I feel a lot of sense of shame, but I don't think Bukirich is there. I wanted to learn that," Lee said, while Chung Ho-young expressed his expectation by saying, "I feel like I am a fraud. I feel like I am making receiving easier. I feel like I will be able to go easily if you give me some support."
"I had a lot of regrets in yesterday's game. I wanted to show good performance by practicing a lot, but it was a shame. The substitute players did a good job today. Of course, I want to play as a main player, but if it helps my team, I think it's right to focus on that role," Lee said.
Chung will clash with the winner of IBK Industrial Bank of Korea and Hyundai Engineering & Construction in the final. "If we reach the final, it is meaningful to win the championship, so I want to prepare well with the players and achieve good results once," Koh said, expressing his commitment to win the championship.
The same goes for Jung Ho-young. "It's my first time in the finals of a cup competition since my debut as a professional player 먹튀검증. I like my team members, too. I think it would be meaningful if I win with this member. I really want to win," said Jung Ho-young, who joined the club in 2019.
The women's final of the cup competition is scheduled to be held at 1:30 p.m. on the 6th.