Kim Yeon-kyung (35, Heungkuk Life Insurance) lifted the thrilling regular season championship trophy after 15 years in the V-League.
Heungkuk Life Insurance won with a set score of 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-16) in an away game against IBK Industrial Bank of the 2022-23 Dodram V League Women’s Division held at Hwaseong Indoor Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do on the 15th.
Heungkuk Life Insurance recorded 79 points, and regardless of the remaining games, beat the pursuit of second place Hyundai Engineering & Construction (70 points) and confirmed the championship. Heungkuk Life Insurance is the 6th regular season championship, the most in the women’s division in 4 years since the 2018-19 season.
Kim Yeon-kyung enjoyed the joy of winning the V-League for the first time in 15 years since the 2007-08 season.
In the game that day, Kim Yeon-kyung also stood out the most with 23 points (4 blocks), the most among both teams.
Kim Yeon-kyung is from the top Korean volleyball star. She won the rookie of the year award for her 2005-06 season and made a spectacular appearance on her professional stage. Kim Yeon-kyung led the team to 3 regular season championships and 3 championship championship championships in 4 seasons.
After the 2008-09 season, Kim Yeon-kyung entered the overseas stage and became a global star. She lifted the league and cup trophies 11 times while traveling in Korea (3 leagues, 1 cup), Japan (1 league, 1 cup), and Turkey (2 leagues, 3 cups)안전놀이터. She won the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) Champions League (once) and the CEV Cup (once) a combined 13 times. He also won the award for scoring and MVP several times.
Kim Yeon-kyung, who went through the stages of Japan-Turkey-China, returned to the V-League after 11 years in the 2020-21 season. It was called ‘Heungvengers’ and boasted the best power ever, but had to be satisfied with the runner-up as twin sisters Lee Jae-young and Da-young left due to ‘academic violence controversy’.
Kim Yeon-kyung played one season in Shanghai, China in the 2021-22 season and returned to Heungkuk Life Insurance after receiving the best treatment in the 2022-23 season.
The road to victory this season was also difficult. Until the middle of the season, Hyundai E&C took the lead with terrifying majesty. Heungkuk Life Insurance suddenly fired manager Kwon Soon-chan in early January, when he was fiercely pursuing Hyundai E&C. The club announced that it was “a difference in direction”. Kim Yeon-kyung showed a furious reaction, saying, “I’m so ashamed. I don’t want this to happen again.” In the confusion of Heungkuk Life Insurance, coach Kim Dae-gyeong took over the temporary baton and led the team for over a month. At the end of February, head coach Avon Danza took over as the new head coach.
Kim Yeon-kyung was desperate to win. He said, “I received good energy and energy by winning the All-Star MVP award. I hope to finish the regular season well by doing well in the 5th and 6th rounds, and advance to the championship game and finish with good results.”
The leading role in Heungkuk Life Insurance’s victory is, of course, Kim Yeon-kyung. She ranked 1st in attack success rate and 5th in scoring (1st in domestic players), in line with the contract with the highest treatment total of 700 million won in the women’s division. She also played a big part in receiving and on defense. When Heungkuk Life Insurance was reeling from the aftermath of the aftermath of manager Kwon Soon-chan’s dismissal, she led the team as a mental support.
Kim Yeon-kyung revealed her concerns about retirement at the end of the season. The final decision has not been announced yet, but maybe the 2022-23 season will be the last season for Kim Yeon-kyung to play as a player. That’s why the ‘finale’ is even more important.