In Korean Air,메이저놀이터 which is participating in the 2023 Asian Men’s Club Championship, the main setter, player Han, accompanies the team, but does not play due to knee rehabilitation. I was very worried about the absence of player Han, who leads the speedy volleyball unique to Korean Air, but I don’t think I need to worry because there is an excellent setter comparable to player Han. Han Seon-soo and Yoo Kwang-woo, born in 1985, secured Korean Air’s advance to the quarterfinals early on with skillful game management on the court and toss work that put the right place at the right time so that Han’s empty seat was not felt at all.

Korean Air defeated 2021-2022 Bahrain Volleyball League champion and home team Al Ahli Sports Club 3-0 ( 25-19 25-21 25-22).

In the match against the Canberra Heat the previous day, backup setter Jeong Jin-hyeok was replaced for each set, but in the match against Al Ahli that day, Kwang-woo Yoo took charge of three sets alone. It means that head coach Tommy Tilikhainen saw Al Ahli as a watershed in this group stage.

In an interview after the game, Yoo Kwang-woo, who suffers from a chronic ankle injury, said, “It’s been a long time since we’ve never played two days in a row like this in the V-League.” I can play against Indonesia tomorrow,” he said with a laugh.

What would the Al Ahli players look like from Kwang-Woo Yoo’s point of view? He said, “Compared to the V-League middle blockers, the Bahraini middle blockers had better height and physical strength, but it felt like they lacked basic skills. So I was able to manage the game while watching their movements.”

On this day, Korean Air threw a barrage of purposeful hits at Yosbani Hernandez, who will play for Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance next season. Yosbani, whose reception was shaken, also had a somewhat shaken attack rhythm, and was eventually replaced by Gabriel Candido and left the court. Regarding Yos Bani, Yoo Kwang-woo said, “He still seems to be an aggressive player. However, it seems that Yosubani’s rhythm has collapsed as we attack well as a serve,” he said. I think it will help a lot,” he explained.

Regarding Gabriel Candido, who was not selected by Korean clubs in a recent men’s tryout, “The power was quite good. He was aggressive and full of fighting spirit, so it didn’t seem easy once he started to come back to life.” When told by reporters that Candido was not selected by the V-League teams and that he would come out tougher against Korean Air, Yoo Kwang-woo said, “They tried to provoke us on the court. But since we couldn’t understand what he was saying, it didn’t matter that much to stimulate him,” he laughed.

The Bahraini spectators, who were somewhat quiet in the first and second sets due to religious ceremonies, cheered enthusiastically from the third set after the religious ceremonies were over. As a result, Koreans in Bahrain also faced off. Veteran Kwang-Woo Yoo, who has gone through all the battles, was not too shaken by Bahrain’s enthusiastic support. He said, “I thought that cheering for Bahrain was our support and just did it. It wasn’t a big problem,” he said coolly.