The injury-fueled drama of the women's professional volleyball team Jeongkwanjang is extraordinary. Centered around setter Yeom Hye-seon, all the players united as one to carry the championship match to the final fifth game.
Jeongkwanjang won the fourth match in the DoDream 2024–2025 season V League women's championship series at Daejeon Chungmu Gymnasium on the 6th, with a set score of 3-2 (25-20, 24-26, 36-34, 22-25, 15-12).
Having lost both the first and second matches and being pushed to the brink, Jeongkwanjang seemed to be ending in a hollow defeat in the third match as well, giving up the first two sets. However, after winning the third to fifth sets in a row, Jeongkwanjang continued their momentum to secure a full set victory in the fourth match, bringing the series record to 2 wins and 2 losses.
The consecutive two wins were possible because of the starting setter Yeom Hye-seon, who is battling through knee pain and can hardly move. Head coach Ko Hee-jin also noted after the match, “I leave the distribution of balls to Hye-seon. She is always a player who researches and enters the game. Thanks to Hye-seon, we are going to the fifth match.”
Yeom Hye-seon said, “I feel great that we didn’t set off fireworks for Heungkuk Life’s victory at home in Daejeon. I now truly believe we have a real opportunity again. I will definitely seize this chance without letting it slip away.” She added, “Since it’s our home game, the players agreed that we absolutely shouldn’t set off fireworks here. It could be the last game, so we said, ‘Let’s play without regret, even if we lose. Good results will come if we do that.’ My desire not to lose translated into a good result.”
Since many volleyball fans are eagerly anticipating Kim Yeon-koung’s dazzling last dance, Jeongkwanjang is in the position of the “villain” that hinders the main character in the drama. Yeom Hye-seon has also embraced the role of the villain but wants to become the protagonist in the final fifth match, which is now at a tie of 2 wins and 2 losses. She said, “Perhaps the protagonist could be us. This is an opportunity for roles to change. I want to create a drama where the villain can become the protagonist.”
Middle blocker Jeong Ho-young, who exploded for 13 points including three blocks to stop Kim Yeon-koung’s attacks, said, “I feel great about winning. I hope we can go to Incheon and smile from a high place with the same performance. I don’t believe that the championship fight is predetermined to define a protagonist. All of our players are enduring pain and working hard.”
The final fifth match of the championship series will be held at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium on the 8th after a day of rest. Attention is on whether Jeongkwanjang can transition from being the villain to the protagonist and cap off the championship series, marking Kim Yeon-koung's last game as a player.
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