Kim Da-in sees tomorrow without satisfaction
Hyundai Engineering & Construction setter Kim Da-in poses after meeting with Dong-A Ilbo at Yongin Training Center on the 4th.
Kim Da-in (26, Hyundai Engineering & Construction) is now the "winning setter."
Kim Da-in, the setter of Hyundai Engineering & Construction, is the biggest contributor to the 2023-2024 season. He led the team to the top with the most stable game management capability in the league. Unlike most teams that suffered from setter risks amid the "setter famine," Hyundai E&C was crowned the champion under Kim Da-in without much hesitation.
"Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. It was like that right after winning the championship, and it is still like that now," said Kim Da-in, who recently met Sports Seoul at his lodging in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. "I got goosebumps watching the Korea Expressway Corporation's dramatic victory last season. I thought I should go there this time, but now that it's a reality, it doesn't feel very true."
"My stake is 10%"
It's not an easy journey. After years of bad luck and lack of backbone, Hyundai Engineering & Construction was in danger of losing pace in the fifth round. Shortly after the end of the fourth round, the gap between leading Hyundai Engineering & Construction and runner-up Heungkuk Life Insurance was eight points, but Hyundai E&C narrowly secured the top spot in the regular league in the final game.
"We were always in the same pattern, so I was worried a lot this time as well. I also thought we couldn't really do it. I even thought about whether spring was the problem or whether I was the problem," Kim said. "I was nervous and sensitive, but I overcame it this time. I think the pain I suffered over the past few seasons has become a medicine. I think I need to get stronger at a difficult moment, so my team has become healthier. I think everyone played with a sense of responsibility and won the first place in the regular league and the unified title."
Volleyball is called "setter play." Kim Da-in's existence is certainly the driving force behind Hyundai Engineering & Construction's integrated victory. However, Kim said, "I think my stake in the championship should be around 10 percent at best. Actually, I think it is lower than that," adding, "There are about 40 players on the team." This time, I realized once again. To win the championship, everyone has to play their own role as one. It is the victory of the team, not me. Volleyball is not an individual sport. Everyone has the same share."
"I learned a lot this season, too. I felt that I was really good at tossing things by my sister from IBK Industrial Bank of Korea or Yeom Hye-sun. She is really good at using her hands. I want to learn the timing. Hye-sun said, "I still have a long way to go. I need to improve."
"MOMA's expressionless face, I'm used to it now"
MOMA, the MVP of the championship, is considered to be an expressionless woman. Unlike other players who usually yell and rejoice when scoring points, MOMA always maintains an expressionless face. In fact, the setter feels uncomfortable with the striker's seriousness. This is because they may feel that they do not like the ball that they posted. This is especially true for foreign players who cannot communicate well.
"At the beginning of the season, I thought there could be a real misunderstanding. As I kept seeing the striker's expression, I was afraid of Moma's expressionless," Kim Da-in said. "But now I've adjusted. I can't do anything about Moma's personality. I don't think it's bad. I'm talking to her as much as I can during the game and asking if the ball is okay. Moma is really a naughty boy out there."
Coach Kang Sung-hyung, who led the team's growth, is also indispensable in this season. Kang is called a master of communication. He also gives autonomy to setters and coordinates games. In Game 3 of the championship match, there was a moment when Kang's instructions were different from Kim Da-in's idea, and in the end, he gave the setter the right to decide.
Kim Da-in said, "The coach listens to Moma really well. Again, the coach ordered an operation to move her to the right, but I thought it would be better to just hit her on the left because she was having a hard time. So in the end, I went as I thought. It means that the coach respects the players that much. I am grateful. He seems to be a leader in this era. He is not coercive, but in the end, he makes her try harder and pour out 100 percent."
Hyundai Engineering & Construction setter Kim Da-in poses after meeting with Dong-A Ilbo at Yongin Training Center on the 4th. Yong-in | Reporter Jung Dowa
Kim Da-in of the Korean women's volleyball team is saving the ball by throwing himself in a match against Bulgaria in the 2023 Suwon Volleyball Nations League held at Chilbo Gymnasium in Seosuwon on the 27th.
"When I think about the national team, I feel heavy. I need to win first."
Kim Da-in has made the list of the national team that will be convened on Friday. The Korean team has suffered complete defeats in the VNL over the past two years. Including the last three consecutive losses in 2021, it is a whopping 27 consecutive losses.
"When I think of the national team, I always feel heavy. I feel a sense of responsibility," Kim said. "I need to win first as soon as possible. As we keep losing, I feel the players are shrinking. We need to be more aggressive because we are short in stature, but if we hit them carefully, we have no chance of winning. So, I think we need to win as soon as possible to relieve our shrinking mind. It can be difficult to get a really good result, but once we win, it will definitely change." 스포츠토토티비
"From now on, I think we really need to show progress. We must not continue to collapse like this. I also have a lot of responsibility. If players share the same goal and work together, I believe it will be different this year. I will do my best," he said.