Kim Jong-min's whip for Burkina Faso, and why

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"He had a good swing, power and finish before the season..."

Korea Expressway Corporation head coach Kim Jong-min expressed his disappointment with the recent performance of foreign player Vanya Vukiric (24, Serbia).

As of Thursday, Vukiric is ranked third in the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Women's Division in scoring, ninth in offense, and 10th in serving. She's also ranked in the top half of most offensive metrics, including 15th in time attack, 10th in quick open, and 6th in trailing attack. But why?

Vukiric, a former member of the Serbian national team, was selected with the seventh overall pick in the foreign player draft last May. He graduated from Ohio State University in the United States and made his professional debut in South Korea. At the time of his selection, Kim said, "I looked at the future rather than the present. I chose him because I think he has a high potential for growth. His height is his strength, but he needs to improve his technique through training," Kim said.

After joining the Road Corporation, Vukiric quickly adapted to the professional stage. 

He raised expectations with his outstanding performances during the pre-season training camp in Japan. In the first round against GS Caltex on Nov. 7 last year, she completed the first Triple Crown in the women's division this season.

However, as the rounds went on, their shortcomings and ups and downs were revealed.

Contrary to expectations that the 'defending champions' would remain at the top of the standings this season, as of the fifth round, they are still somewhat distant from their spring volleyball.

"I don't think there's anything that's noticeably improved (from a season ago)," Kim admitted. "The best part was playing in Japan. I had good power to get up and hit over the blocking, and my swing was good," he said, adding, "Now I'm hitting the ball with a lot of sagging and coming down, and my swing has slowed down." "Experienced players can reduce the ups and downs as they play, but I think there are still some nerves for a young player," she added, referring to her poor serve.

Against GS Caltex at the Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium on Thursday, Vukiric scored a team-high 28 points to help the team snap a two-game losing streak.

The offense shot 40 percent. Bum-sil had a team-high 10 steals, which was disappointing compared to his scoring.

"We scored a lot of points, but our success rate dropped a lot," Kim said. "We need to know how to find a breakthrough when (Vukiric) doesn't work, but we couldn't do that. I told her, 'Don't worry about it, just hit hard and fast,' and she did a good job today."

With the road project somewhat distant from spring volleyball, the focus seems to be more on finishing the season strong. If Vukiric is to stay with the Roadrunners in the new season, she'll need to regain the dynamic form that captivated everyone a season ago.

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