“He’s always yelling, so everything he says is emphasized.”
Heungkuk Life setter Kim Da-sol laughed when asked about the messages head coach Marcello Abondanza usually emphasizes.
“His passion and energy is the same in practice as it is in games,” said Kim, who was interviewed after the match against 토토사이트 Korea Expressway Corporation on March 25, adding, “The players even talk amongst themselves, ‘If you do that, you won’t get tired.'”
“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 win total and halved the number of losses through 11 games this season.
Like Kim Dassol, Abondanza actively encourages his players on the court.
In the third set of the match, 18-15, when the players became discouraged after mistaking Bae Yuna’s block for a point, Abondanza pointed out that the opponent’s touch on the net was an offense and encouraged them to keep fighting.
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 (the team) progressing rather than being wary of other teams,” Abondanza said, adding that he wants to see the team improve not only in offense, which worked well today, but also in defense and blocking.
While Abondanza is not concerned, Heungkuk Sinsang’s win total is steadily increasing.