Kang Sung-hyung has led Hyundai E&C to the top in his third year in charge.

Hyundai E&C finished the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League regular season atop the standings and defeated Heungkuk Sinsaeng in the championship game to win the title for the first time in 13 years since the 2010-2011 season.

Kang Sung-hyung, who took over as head coach of Hyundai E&C in March 2021, also won the first trophy of his coaching career. They were crowned champions after two and a half seasons. In 2021-22, the team finished first in the regular season due to the early termination of the league due to COVID-19, and in 2022-23, the team was on track to finish second in the regular season before a late-season collapse and a loss to Korea Expressway Corporation 스포츠토토사이트 in the playoffs.

After finally reaching the top, coach Kang Sung-hyung said, “We were impatient and greedy because we went through the situation twice. It must have been hard for the players, but I think we didn’t have enough time,” he confessed.

However, he added, “We were able to win the championship because we overcame and protected the last point. As a responsible person, I thought, ‘Is this my luck,’ but then I realized it was everyone’s luck. We had a lot of good energy together and we were able to finish well,” he said, thanking everyone.

The road to the top of the regular season was full of twists and turns. At the start of the season, no one considered Hyundai E&C to be a favorite, and the team went 3-3 in the first round, which was different from previous seasons. “Three wins and three losses wasn’t bad, but it was hard, and I felt like I was suffocating, especially after (Kim) Dae-in went to the national team, and I could feel that he was mentally struggling,” Kang recalled.

Hyundai E&C, who battled with Heungkuk Life for the top spot, won the final match of the regular season, Pepper Savings Bank, 3-1 in straight sets. Looking back on the eventful regular season, Kang said, “The sixth round was the most difficult. I felt like I was sagging, and we had a difficult match against Jung Kwan-jang and Heungkuk Life. I think I was stressed out, even though I had nothing to fear before.”

All three matches in the championship match against Heungkuk Life went to full sets. It was the first time in the history of the women’s postseason that three matches went to five sets in a row. “We won against Heungkuk Life, but if you look at the match, they were often close, so I didn’t think it would end in the third set. Instead, I thought we could stretch it out and take the set,” she said.

The fact that they lost the first and second sets of the first round and won the rest of the match was a source of confidence. “After winning the first game, we were able to relax in the second game. In the third set, we felt like we were sagging because our opponent went to five sets, but our players kept fighting, so we knew we had a chance to win,” said Kang.

In her three years in charge of the women’s team, she has seen results. Kang’s gentle leadership style has paid off. “The players are greedy,” Kang said. Their willingness to work hard and the good atmosphere created a good result,” he said.

He also thanked the fans for their support. “We said we would invite them to the championship game, and I’m glad we were able to keep our promise. They supported us in Game 3, even though we were playing away from home. Thank you very much.”