GS Caltex won the Cup for the second year in a row, following last year’s win in Suncheon. GS Caltex, which already holds the record for the most Cup wins, increased its number to six. Kang So-hwi was named MVP, while setter Kim Ji-won received the Rising Star Award.

After the game, GS Caltex head coach Cha Sang-hyun said, “I’m glad we got a good result,” and recalled last year’s victory.

Despite the victory, it was not a pleasant memory. “We won the Cup last year, but we had a lot of internal problems. Our teamwork was broken. We were worried about how to change it quickly, but the aftermath extended to the regular season.”

GS Caltex, which won the Cup last year by defeating Korea Expressway Corporation, finished the regular season in fifth place and suffered a setback in spring volleyball. “I felt that we needed to change the coaching staff. I also thought that new players should come,” explains Cha.

GS Caltex had a busy offseason. They hired two new coaches, Lim Dong-gyu and Gong Tae-hyun. It parted ways with foreign player Moma and drafted apogee spiker Giselle Silva. Signed the oldest active player, Jung Dae-young, as a free agent. The team changed the whole atmosphere.

Kang So-hwi took over as captain and Yoo Seo-yeon as vice captain. It’s not the most experienced lineup in the team, but they hoped to have a good balance of players in the middle. “I told the players that they had to work together and make concessions,” says Cha. “We have older sisters, but I wanted Kang So-hwi to be the captain. I told (Yoo) Seo that the vice captain role is also important. I thought we needed to change the atmosphere in some way, and the players responded well. There were a few bumps in the road, but it’s good to see our team’s characteristic tenacious team color.”

“I’m thankful to the coaching staff and the players because we tried to make changes and made concessions. That part worked out well in the end,” he smiled.

GS Caltex has become more solid than before. Kang So-hwi has taken on more responsibility, and the players have begun to act spontaneously. “I always had the responsibility of being an ‘ace,’ and it was the same when I became captain,” Kang So-hwi said. “When the coach was really angry, he would swear at us. Now, I can see that he’s holding back his anger, so we try to do a good job beforehand,” he laughed.

This is his third Cup MVP after the 2016 Cheonan and 2020 Jecheon Cups, and the most for both men and women. Kang So-hwi said, “I think I got it because the team did well. I’m not satisfied with the Cup MVP, but I’m going to challenge for the regular league and championship MVP as well,” he said, putting ‘team’ in the forefront like a captain.

It wasn’t an easy road to the Cup. There was also a wake-up call. GS Caltex lost 0-3 to IBK in the group stage. The team’s performance was so bad that coach Cha said 토토사이트 they were “possessed by demons. The players also agreed that it was “the worst game ever. Coach Cha said, “I think it was good for us to lose the qualifier against IBK. I think we got a good shot.”

Since the 2017 Cup under Cha’s leadership, GS Caltex has reached the final six times and won four times. “GS Caltex has won so many cups that I hope another team will win the next one,” said Kim Ho-cheol, the runner-up.

“GS Caltex is not easy to train,” said Cha. We’re doing well because they recognize it and follow us. They lost last year, but they always try their best in every game. They stand out because of their good performance in the cup competition, but they are preparing well internally for the league.” He hopes that the winning momentum from the cup competition will carry over to the regular season.