Heungkuk Life setter Kim Da-sol laughed when asked about the messages head coach Marcello Abondanza usually emphasizes.
“The coach’s passion and energy are the same in practice as in games,” Kim said after the Korea Expressway Corporation match on Sept. 25, adding, “It’s so much that the players say, ‘If you do it like that, you won’t get sick.
“He keeps pushing us, so we have no choice but to focus in practice. The atmosphere at practice has definitely improved compared to last season.”
Abondanza has led Heungkuk Sinsaeng to great heights this season with his passionate leadership.
The league-leading club became the first of 14 men’s and women’s teams to reach the 10-win plateau.
Abondanza, who took over midway through the 2022-2023 season and led the team to a 5-2 regular season record, has doubled the number of wins and halved the number of losses through 11 games this season.
Echoing Kim’s words, Abondanza actively boosts his players’ morale on the court.
In the third set of the match, 18-15, when the players became discouraged after mistaking Bae Yoo-na’s block for a point, Abondanza called out to them that their opponent’s net touch was off.
Abondanza’s passion seems to stem from a perfectionism that focuses on the content of the game rather than the victory itself.
When asked about the team’s 9-1 record, which is better than last year, he said, “I’m not counting wins and losses because there are still a lot of games left. I just want to see if the players’ level is growing steadily.”
Even after the 3-0 shutout win over Korea Expressway Corporation, there was little to celebrate.
“If you look at the performance itself, we were not satisfied. “Of course, it’s better to play well and lose than to play poorly and win,” he said nonchalantly.
“I want to focus on my team and show how (the team) is improving rather than being wary of other teams,” Abondanza said, adding, “I want to show not only the offense that worked well today, but also the defense and blocking.”
Heungkuk Sinsung’s win total is steadily increasing while Abondanza is not paying attention. 파워볼
