“I want to experience a lot on the world stage.”
Cheonan won all of its qualifiers for the 2023 Jeong-eup Jangbu Sanbae National Men’s and Women’s Junior and Senior Volleyball Tournament in Jeong-eup, Jeollabuk-do, and advanced to the quarterfinals by topping its group.
Starting setter Kim Kwan-woo (sophomore, 195 cm) once again led the team to the quarterfinals with an even game plan that actively utilized the center. The setter utilized his height to get a high hitting percentage.
“I’m disappointed with my performance in the qualifiers, so I want to focus more and try to play well in the main event,” Kim said after the match.
Kim went undefeated in the qualifiers and topped his group, but when he looked back at his performance, he was disappointed. “I tried to use a lot of fastballs in the beginning. I also tried to take advantage of the time gap when the opponent stops me, but I was not able to get the toss because I was unstable in my reception,” he said.
As for her own game, she said, “When the reception is shaky, I need to chase it down quickly and make a two-step connection. I had to put it up high so that the attacker could hit it, but I couldn’t do that. I think I didn’t see my opponent and didn’t execute,” he confessed.
Cheonan Go, which has been performing well since last year, has also performed well in the tournaments it has participated in this year. However, they always struggled against Soosung Go. At the 2023 Taebaek Mountain Games, they met in the final and finished as runners-up, and at the 78th National Championships, they lost in the quarterfinals.
The players were hungry for more. “We practiced with the mindset that we would do our best by doing what we could,” Kim Kwan-woo said of their preparation, “and we were determined to show it at this tournament.
Korean Air’s Han was a role model for the team. “I’m learning a lot by thinking about how he puts up good tosses for the attackers to hit,” Kim said. As the captain and setter of the team, I also felt that I had a good responsibility. I like the leadership of the team, and I am learning hard in and out of the game.”스포츠토토
Kim Kwan-woo, who earned a spot on the youth national team last year, is also on the shortlist for the upcoming U19 national team. He’s ready to take his game beyond Asia and onto the world stage.
“Since it’s a world championship, I think I’ll be able to gain more experience than in Asia. “I want to experience the height of the European players and learn from the setters, who are taller than me. I went last year, but I will try not to lose,” he said.