GS Caltex battled back from a five-set deuce deficit against leader Hyundai E&C, but could only manage a single point. However, the transformation of 'first-round favorite' Kwon Min-ji into a middle blocker proved fruitful.
GS Caltex lost their away match against Hyundai E&C in the fourth round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Women's Division at Suwon Indoor Gymnasium on Tuesday with a set score of 2-3 (28-30, 25-21, 16-25, 25-17, 17-19).
GS Caltex earned a point, but fell to its second straight loss and remained in third place with a 13-8 record (38 points) on the season.
Silva, the top scorer and attacker in the V-League Women's Division, scored a team-high 36 points (50.79% attacking success rate) but was unable to lead her team to victory. She fell one block and one service ace short of the triple crown.
GS Caltex head coach Cha Sang-hyun said after the match, "Overall, we have a long way to go. Every single point is important. I'm a little disappointed with the finish, but I'm satisfied with the content. We planned a game plan with Kwon Min-ji as a middle blocker for the first time in a long time, and she took it well, giving us one more option. I think it will be fine if we practice more and improve it."
"We also had a few chances, and (Lee) Yoon Shin-i was disappointed with the distribution, but we didn't say anything about it because we thought it might be confusing if we made a special order for the distribution. Still, it was a satisfying match."
GS Caltex made a change from its usual lineup of setters Kim Ji-won, Kwon Min-ji, and Choi Eun-ji. When asked why, Kim said, "I thought that Saturday's match against IBK could be a decisive match in the fourth round, so I thought it would be okay to make one change." He added, "I'm a little worried about my physical strength because the match is right around the corner. I will manage it as well as possible and prepare well for the most important match."
Outside hitter Kwon Min-ji also explained her reason for switching to middle blocker. Kwon, who was selected by GS Caltex with the third pick in the first round of the 2019-2020 rookie draft out of Daegu Women's High School, has been switching between outside hitter and middle blocker since her debut. Her primary position is outside hitter.
"I had a deep conversation with Minji Kwon. She has energy and skill, and there are things that need to be done. She has energy and skill, and there are things that need to be done." "She expressed that she wants to grow as an outside hitter, so I kept her, but I expect a lot of players to come in through the Asian Quarterfinals next year. If you look at it like that, you need to think about 토토 the position. He's fully accepted that. I will be a free agent after the 2024-2025 season, and I personally hope to make a big splash. But it's hard to impress other managers in this state. We had a lot of deep conversations. He understood, and I hadn't seen the middle blocker for a long time, and from a coaching standpoint, he was fighting and working hard, so it was good to see."
GS Caltex will look to turn things around at home against IBK on March 13.