Coach Lavarini’s dream is to make it to the semifinals. I wish no one would wake me up.
Coach Stefano Lavarini, who led the Korean women’s volleyball team to the semifinals of the Olympics, responded that it did not feel real. This is proof that it has achieved such an overwhelming achievement. Although he has already achieved successful results, Lavarini stressed that he can go beyond the semifinals to a higher place.
The women’s volleyball team (ranked 13th in the world) won the match against Turkey (ranked 4th) in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Ariake Arena at 9 a.m. on the 4th, with a set score of 3-2 (17-25 25-17 28-26 18-25 15-13.
Coach Lavarini’s mercenary skills were hit in a tight match. In the third set, South Korea ran 13-9 and allowed a tie of 15-15, when Lavarini cut off the opponent’s flow with operational time, and immediately took the lead again with Kim Yeon-kyung’s spike.
In the second half of the game, he put in “young blood” to dampen the opponent’s spirits. Lavarini added Ahn Hye-jin (23, GS Caltex), Jung Ji-yoon (20), and Park Eun-jin (22, KGC Ginseng Corporation), who played in the airlift and met the coach’s expectations.
“I can’t believe we made it to the semifinals,” Lavarini said in the mixed zone after the match. It took me a while to understand that I won after the game. “I feel dazed,” he said humorously.
“Now I can afford to watch other teams’ games comfortably,” Lavarbarini said. I feel like I’m dreaming every day and I’m getting more and more happy. I don’t want anyone to wake me up from my dream,” he said.
As for the strategy of the game, he said, “I considered technology important to deal with Turkey, which has good physical conditions. First, it was necessary to serve well. “After analyzing Turkey’s game, the passing skill is good, but there is a lack of attack efficiency, so we focused on that part,” he said.
“Kim Soo-ji has strong serve and Park Eun-jin has good blocking. Kim Hee-jin and Kim Yeon-kyung also served well today. Park Jung-ah said, “There are some mistakes, but there are good technical skills,” adding, “Who serves and receives serve depending on the opponent is using different strategies for each game.”
Lavarini finally said, “If you believe in your abilities, you can go further. The coaching staff only helps. “I always appreciate it and thank you for opening up the possibility of a medal,” he said.
