Samsung Fire Edges Hyundai Capital 3-2

The score was 22-13 at that moment of the first set. When “Brown Bomber” Shin Jin-sik (Samsung Fire) stepped onto the court, the gym was overwhelmed with cheers from spectators. Shin, playing a defending position instead of an attacking position due to a shoulder injury, seemed ashamed when he missed Jang Young-ki’s serve spike, falling down over his feet with the score 24-17.

Serves of Hyundai Capital headed to Shin continuously, and Samsung allowed 20 points because of unstable serve returns, but Samsung finished the set thanks to the quick attacks of Kim Sang-woo.

But Samsung Fire’s easy attitude made them pay the price. Samsung was almost defeated because their teamwork was destroyed.

The place was the KT&G V tour 2004 men’s volleyball A-group game held at Park Jeong-hee Gymnasium in Gumi on February 2. Samsung Fire edged out Hyundai Capital by a set score of 3-2 in a tight game to continue their 63 consecutive win streak in the winter company league.

Disadvantaged by right attacker Kim Se-jin’s back injury and Seok Jin-wook’s poor condition, Samsung Fire couldn’t set up chances well and didn’t overcome their opponent’s blocks to lose the second and third sets 23-25 and 22-25 respectively.

However, Samsung Fire got stronger when facing a crisis. As Seok Jin-wook saved Hyundai’s hard spikes at the backcourt, Jang Byoung-chul’s (27 points) spikes exploded. Quick attacks and blocks from Kim Sang-woo (12 points) and Shin Seon-ho (13 points) also worked, helping Samsung change the flow and win the fourth set by a score of 25-19.

With the set score tied at 2-2, Samsung once trailed 7-10, but closed the gap with Hyundai to one point on Shin Seon-ho’s successive points, and reversed the game thanks to Bang Shin-bong and Kwon Young-min’s consecutive errors.

The fifth set was over by a score of 15-10 when Hyundai’s Park Chul-woo spiked the ball out of bounds. Hyundai let its almost-taken-victory slip away because of their errors.

-The result on Feb 2

-Men’s A group

Samsung Life 3-2 Hyundai Capital

(1 win) (1 loss)

金尙浩 hyangsan@donga.com