Kim Yeon-koung, the 'queen of volleyball,' played alongside global stars. The team 'Star,' led by player-coach Kim Yeon-koung, won.
The 'KYK Invitational 2025' was held at the Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium on the 18th. The match on this second day was played between team Star, in which Kim Yeon-koung played as player-coach, and team World, led by coach Marcello Abondanza. The result was a victory for team Star, winning 80–63.
The 'KYK Invitational 2025' was played in four sets, with the team to first reach a total of 80 points, earning 20 points per set, declared the winner. On the first day of the 'KYK Invitational 2025,' held the previous day (17th), the world all-stars, including Kim Yeon-koung, defeated the Korean women's national volleyball team 80-59.
The Korea Volleyball Association presented an appreciation plaque to Kim Yeon-koung for her efforts in advancing Korean women's volleyball, and a spectacular laser mapping performance lasted about three minutes as an opening act. Following that, team Star and team World players, including Kim Yeon-koung, were introduced and entered the court to the cheers of the fans.
Kim Yeon-koung played as a coach in the first set, as a player in the second set, again as a coach in the third set, and as a player in the fourth set.
As expected from a match between global stars, the players displayed high-level performance. Although it was an exhibition match and did not feature extreme plays, the showdown among the world all-stars unfolded intensively. The first set ended with team Star leading 20-18.
In the second set, Kim Yeon-koung entered the court as a player, not a coach. As a recently retired player, she still demonstrated excellent judgement in offense, blocking, and defense. However, the game turned around, with team World successfully taking the lead 32-30.
Team Star did not back down either. With Kim Yeon-koung's efforts, team Star equalized at 37-37. Ultimately, the second set also ended with team Star in the lead, turning the score to 40-37. In the second set, Kim Yeon-koung, who played as a player, scored five points, marking the highest score on her team.
Before the start of the third set, an 'enormous volleyball mini-match' event featuring all-star players, including Kim Yeon-koung, provided a spectacle for the fans.
In the third set, team Star showed dominant performance, significantly widening the score gap. In this set, Kim Yeon-koung transformed back into the role of coach as team Star led 60-46.
In the fourth set, where Kim Yeon-koung was reintroduced as a player, team Star maintained a lead of more than 10 points. The match concluded with team Star leading 78-63, aided by consecutive points from Kim Yeon-koung, wrapping up the 'KYK Invitational 2025' on its second day.
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