‘How can you drag this match out like this’
Before the fifth set began, the captains of both teams, Park Jung-ah and Kang So-hwi, met to decide on the court, but as soon as Park Jung-ah saw Kang So-hwi, she started pushing and harassing him. Kang So-hwi apologized and grabbed Park’s hand to escape. What happened between the two players?
Pepper Savings Bank lost their 20th consecutive game, setting a new record for the longest losing streak in the history of the 토토 V-League Women’s Division.
The fifth round of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Women’s Division was held at the Pepper Stadium in Gwangju on June 6, with Pepper Savings Bank playing GS Caltex. On this day, Pepper Savings Bank played with only domestic players as Ju Po Yasmin was absent due to shoulder pain. Many experts expected Pepper Savings Bank to be one-dimensional without Yasmin. However, Pepper Savings Bank’s momentum in the early stages of the game was surprising. Led by Park Jung-ah, Pepper Savings Bank had a strong will to end their losing streak and showed no signs of giving up by flying around the court.
GS Caltex, on the other hand, couldn’t stop Park and dropped 1.2 sets in a row. However, GS Caltex had Silva. Facing defeat, GS Caltex fought back in the third set with Yoo So-yeon and Silva to turn the tide. With momentum on their side, GS Caltex took the fourth set and pushed the match to a fifth set.
Before the fifth set, the captains of both teams, Park Jung-ah and Kang So-hwi, met to decide on the court, but as soon as Park Jung-ah saw Kang So-hwi, she started to harass him. Park started to take revenge on Kang So-hwi with half jokes and half seriousness, and Kang So-hwi looked apologetic and avoided Park’s attacks. As the match went to the fifth set, with the chance to escape the losing streak all but seized, Park took her frustrations out on Kang So-hui, with whom she had a close friendship.
However, the world of competition was cold. Kang So-hwi unleashed an onslaught at the start of the fifth set, and GS Caltex took the set 3-2 (21-25 21-25 25-20 25-22 15-7) in straight sets. Park had a triple-crown performance with 26 points, including five blocks, three back-attacks, and two blocked shots, but her team was unable to prevent the loss, which tied the V-League Women’s Division record for the longest losing streak at 20 games.
Pepper Savings Bank will now become the first team in the V-League Women’s Division to lose 21 consecutive games in a row if they lose to IBK IBK on Tuesday at Hwaseong Indoor Stadium.