Heungkuk Saengsaeng’s Asian quarterback, Reina Tokoku (real name Reina), has been put to the test this season.
With foreign player Willow Johnson (née Willow) out injured, Reina has had to step up to the plate.
“We want Willow back as soon as possible, but we’re thinking at least two weeks,” said head coach Marcello Abondanza 토토 after the team’s 3-2 set win over IBK on Friday.
Willow reportedly injured her right knee ligament in the previous match against Hyundai E&C on Dec. 12.
The loss of one of the pillars of Heungkuk Saengsim’s “triangle formation” puts a heavy burden on the shoulders of the other two, Kim Yeon-kyung and Reyna.
Considering Kim already ranks fifth in the league in scoring (624 points), second in attack percentage (44.94%), and fifth in reception (42.55%), Reyna will need to step up.
Reina only cracks the top 10 in the key offensive metric of time-differential attack success rate (5th – 61.36%).
Reyna’s homework was evident in this game as well.
Forced to fill Willow’s shoes, Reyna had the highest attack percentage (38.16%) on the team. Kim Yeon-kyung had 31.88 percent.
However, it wasn’t enough to get off to a good start.
With 23 points, Reyna’s attack success rate was 26.58% and her attack efficiency was only 3.80%.
She had nine errors and nine blocked shots.
Her performance in the fourth set, when the score was 2-1, was particularly disappointing. Her attack efficiency was -12.00%.
That’s why Reina burst into tears after scoring the last point in the fifth set, 14-12.
“It wasn’t easy without Willow,” Reina said after the match, “I was upset because I felt like I was the reason they lost the fourth set. I felt sorry for the team,” she reflected.
“I was like, ‘I can’t lose this point, I’m the only one who can finish it,'” she recalled of the final point.
Coach Abondanza, who knows Reina’s struggles, was warm and encouraging.
“She played so well in the first and second sets, and it didn’t go well in the second,” he said, “but I think it can happen. I hope she realizes how to pick herself up and overcome it.”