Red Sparks managed to defeat Hillstate in the first match of the Korean Volleyball League playoffs. The presence of Vanja Bukilic also lightened the burden on Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi in the match.
Bukilic, who suffered a left ankle injury last month, returned to the field in the first match against Hillstate in the Korean Volleyball League playoffs. Bukilic’s presence had a significant impact on the game of Megawati and her friends.
When Bukilic was injured, Megawati became the mainstay of Red Sparks in the attack line. This made Megawati bear a big burden. In addition, the Red Sparks’ attack flow became easy to predict because they relied too much on Megawati.
With Bukilic’s presence, Red Sparks’ attacks became more varied. Bukilic was able to record 11 points and support some of Megawati’s burden in terms of attack. Bukilic is in second place as the highest point contributor for Red Sparks after Megawati who recorded 24 points.
Bukilic’s presence also had a significant impact on defense. Regarding the receive, Bukilic managed to do 7 receive.
The collaboration between Megawati and Bukilic which ultimately became a nightmare for Hillstate. Red Sparks defeated Hillstate with a landslide score of 3-0 with a victory of 26-24, 25-23, 25-19.
The coach, Ko Hee Jin also gave praise to the performance of his team.
“I want to finish it in the second match,” said Ko Hee Jin as quoted by Sports Khan.
Regarding the landslide victory of 3-0, Ko Hee Jin admitted that it was beyond his expectations.
“I didn’t expect to win 3-0. I think this is the match when we showed our best concentration throughout the season.”
“I want to fix the things that are still lacking and finish them in Daejeon,” said Ko Hee Jin.
Red Sparks’ victory in the first match means they only need one more match to advance to the final round. In the second match, Red Sparks will be the host on Thursday (3/27/2025).
However, if the Red Sparks lose in the second match, the Red Sparks vs Hillstate will continue to the third match which will be the deciding match. The third match, if necessary, will be held on Saturday (3/29/2025).
Image source: finnews.id
