KB Insurance Stars, the men’s professional volleyball team, won its first victory at its temporary home stadium and started a full-fledged spring volleyball competition.
KB Insurance won a shutout victory over KEPCO with a set score of 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-21) in the third round of the men’s regular season of the Dodram 2024-2025 V-League at Kyungmin University Memorial Hall (Gym) in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 22nd.
KB Insurance, which has continued its two-game winning streak, is ranking fourth with seven wins and nine losses (21 points), beating Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance (5 wins and 11 losses, 20 points), and laying the groundwork for its leap into the upper ranks. Meanwhile, KEPCO, which lost four consecutive games, ranked sixth with seven wins and nine losses (16 points).
The team, which was shaken by Miguel Rivera’s resignation right before the opening of the season, seems to be gradually stabilizing. Key players including Na Kyung-bok, Hwang Taek-ui, and Park Sang-ha returned to the court one after another to boost their performance, before erasing the point gap with Woori Card (8-8, 21 points).
It was all the more meaningful for KB Insurance as it overcame a number of unfavorable factors recently. KB Insurance received a notification on June 28 from the Uijeongbu Facilities Management Corporation that it decided to close its home stadium, Uijeongbu Gymnasium, due to safety issues caused by “roof leakage.”
That’s when the grasshopper’s life began. The home game against OK Savings Bank on Dec. 1 was held at Incheon Gyeyang Gymnasium in southern Incheon, the home of Korean Air, and the match against Hyundai Capital on Dec. 14 was held at Ansan Sangnoksu Gymnasium in southern Seoul, the home of OK Savings Bank. While the teams were traveling from place to place, KB Insurance did its best to create a temporary home stadium at Kyungmin University in Uijeongbu.
Due to Kyeongmin University’s existing academic schedule, it created an environment in which players can train in just five days, even though they could not move from late in the evening on the 16th. By removing banners, coats, seats, lights, and structures from existing stadiums, they created a similar environment as much as possible to help players adapt.
After the match, Villena said, “I felt weird. I didn’t get used to it yet, but I was glad to win.” Hwang Kyung-min, who also interviewed Su-hoon, said, “It is true that I practiced for the first time yesterday and played today, so I didn’t get used to it. However, I had no difficulty in playing because the club made me look similar to Uijeongbu Gymnasium.”
Still, they are not in a position to feel safe. According to sources from KB Insurance, Kyeongmin University’s gymnasium can be used at the end of February. The gym has to be vacated from March due to school opening. 안전놀이터 The team has to find a new stadium again at a time when it can barely adjust to the situation.
As the sixth round, the most important of all for the V-League, starts in March, KB Insurance is agonizing over the issue. Furthermore, there are only six points difference between Woori Card, which ranks third, and OK Savings Bank, which ranks last (4 wins, 12 losses, 15 points). This is why KB Insurance desperately needs a temporary home stadium.
Hwang Kyung-min, who met with reporters after the game, hoped to use Kyungmin University’s gymnasium by the end of this season as much as possible. Coincidentally, it has the same name as Kyungmin University, which has a temporary home stadium, so he also responded positively to the story of the university’s promotional ambassador, which was jokingly mentioned among club officials.
“An honorary ambassador is not a bad idea. There is also a way to give free tickets to Kyungmin University students for our home game,” Hwang said with a smile. “We will enter the sixth round by the end of February. The sixth round is the most important time of the season, and if the stadium changes, we will have to adapt again. I heard that the club is continuously discussing it, and I think it would be appreciated if Kyungmin University would also consider this convenience.”
Another factor in the fierce spring volleyball competition was the management of physical stamina. Due to a series of injuries sustained by foreign players this season, tight schedules have become an issue. “My schedule is quite tight. I have to take care of my physical stamina as I play games every three days,” Hwang said.
