The real competition begins for the stars of the cup competition
Players Need Second Leap For 2023-2024 Season’s Start
The Gumi-Dodram Professional Volleyball Tournament, which opened on July 29, completed all of the women’s schedules on the 5th. GS Caltex KIXX, the winner of last year’s tournament, reaffirmed that it is a strong player in the cup competition by winning its sixth championship for the second consecutive year, and IBK Industrial Bank Altos also achieved second place even though it focused on young players. On the other hand, the Korea Expressway Corporation’s Hi-Pass and Heungkuk Life’s Pink Spiders, who clashed in the V-League championship match last season, were eliminated from the group stage side by side.
In this tournament, foreign players and Asian quarter players who had not been able to join the team and visa problems were not able to participate, but all of the national team players from each club were able to participate. However, many of the key players of each club, including “Volleyball Empress” Kim Yeon-kyung, Kim Soo-ji, Kim Hae-ran (Hungkuk Life Insurance), Park Jung-ah (Pepper Savings Bank AI Peppers), Kim Hee-jin, and Hwang Min-kyung (Industrial Bank), did not participate in the cup competition or played only limited time. This is because there is no reason to overdo it in the cup competition ahead of the opening of the V League.
Therefore, the cup competition is also a good opportunity for young players. In particular, young players from each club, who were pushed by seniors and foreign players in the V League and heated up the warm-up zone throughout the season, shook off the burden through cup competitions and made a strong impression on coaches and volleyball fans. However, young players who played in the cup competition cannot be satisfied with their current performance. This is because in two months, the V League, which is a real “real game,” will open
Heungkuk Life confirmed the possibility of a young striker named Kim Dae-eun through last year’s Cup. Kim Da-eun, who scored 186 points in 35 regular league games last season, was selected for the adult national team after the season and played as a key striker for Cesar’s team in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL). However, Kim Da-eun missed the Cup with Kim Yeon-kyung and Kim Hae-ran Libero, who recently suffered a shoulder injury and were not in perfect condition due to late joining the team, and middle blocker Kim Soo-ji, who had knee surgery.
Heungkuk Life coach Marcello Avondanja put promising player Jung Yoon-joo, born in 2003, who spent two seasons in the professional league, as the starting outside hitter along with Kim Mi-yeon. He played only three games as Heungkuk Life Insurance was eliminated from the group stage, but Jung Yoon-joo’s performance in the cup competition was more than expected. Jung Yoon-joo scored 47 points in three group matches, tied for second in scoring with ‘cup tournament MVP’ Kang So-hwi (GS Caltex) after Pyo Seung-joo (Industrial Bank of Korea) with 51 points.
Jung Yoon-joo’s offense, which scored 47 points with a 37.84% success rate in nine sets, was impeccable, but the problem was also defense. Jung Yoon-joo, who received the opponent’s intensive target serve during the three group matches, attempted 61 receptions, the most in the team, but the receiving efficiency was only 26.23%. The surge in the number of digs to 3.67 per set is not due to improved defense capabilities, but to a sharp increase in playing time.
When the V League opens, Jung Yoon-joo will meet prominent internal competitors, including Kim Yeon-kyung, captain Kim Mi-yeon, Kim Da-eun, who will play as an outside hitter, and Asian quarter player Reina Tokoku. It is clear that Jung Yoon-joo showed more offense than expected in the cup competition, but it is never easy to win the trust of coach Avon Terminal with just one offensive power. This is why Jung Yoon-joo has to focus on sub-receive training for the remaining two months until the opening of the V-League
Kim Hee-jin, a leading star of the Industrial Bank of Korea, who suffered from chronic knee injuries, missed the cup tournament in February and is uncertain about his participation in the upcoming 2023-2024 V-League. On top of that, Hwang Min-kyung, who was recruited as an FA, is not in very good condition, but he has kept the bench since his first game against Heungkuk Life Insurance on July 30. Kim Soo-ji’s transfer also weakened the middle blocker line, so the main middle blocker Choi Jung-min could not be recklessly turned into an apogit.
However, the Industrial Bank of Korea has Yuk Seo-young, who can go back and forth between outside heaters and apogit spikers. Yuk Seo-young, a former Ilshin Women’s Award, was pushed back to the second place in the second round of the 2019-2020 rookie draft, but is a player who boasts excellent offense enough to lead the team by forming a troika with Choi Ga-eun (Koro Corporation) and Kim Da-eun in high school. Last season, he played in 33 games and scored 270 points, greatly enhancing his position in the team.
Yuk Seo-young was appointed as the main apogit spy by head coach Kim Ho-chul in a cup competition where foreign players cannot participate. In addition, Yuk Seo-young ranked third in the overall score of the cup competition after Pyo Seung-joo (98 points) and Kang So-hwi (91 points) with 81 points in five matches of the cup competition. In particular, Yuk Seo-young participated in sub-receiving between the apogit spiker and the outside heater due to coach Kim Ho-chul’s consideration (?) and is also losing the stigma of being a “half player” with only good offense.
However, Yuk Seo-young, who had an attack success rate of 47.19% in the group stage and 38.78% in the semifinals, saw her attack success rate drop sharply to 25% in the final against GS Caltex on the 5th. GS Caltex’s blocking and defense, which effectively blocked Yuk Seo-young, were also good, but it is clear that Yuk Seo-young failed to do her part in the most important game. Of course, the physical burden was high as he played for three consecutive days, but if Yuk Seo-young does not reduce her ups and downs, it will never be easy to threaten the positions of Pyo Seung-joo and Hwang Min-kyung in the new season
Coach Joe Trinzi, who took over as the third-generation manager of the cluttered Pepper Savings Bank in late June, said ahead of the cup competition, “I want to focus on identifying the pros and cons of the players rather than winning or losing.” In fact, Trinji rarely played “Clutch Park” Park Jung-ah, who invested a total of 2.32 billion won (including options) in the cup competition, and Oh Ji-young Libero, who remained for 350 million won (Park Jung-ah briefly stepped on the court as a substitute in the match against Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate on July 31).
In place of Park Jung-ah, the main striker of Pepper Savings Bank in this Cup tournament was rookie Park Eun-seo, who spent two seasons in the professional league. Park Eun-seo, who joined Pepper Savings Bank as the second overall member in the 2021-2022 rookie draft, scored 101 points with a 39.57% success rate in the rookie season and 133 points with a 33.33% success rate last season. In the rookie season, he was good enough to be mentioned as a candidate for the Rookie of the Year, but he did not show as much growth as expected in the second year.
However, Park Eun-seo played as the main striker of Pepper Savings Bank in this Cup tournament and scored 45 points (jointly fifth) with 116 attempts, the second most after Kim Se-in (119th), in three games. In particular, he made 23 attacks not only at the front but also at the rear, succeeding 11 (47.83%) and showing off his potential as an all-weather striker. However, Park Eun-seo also left a big regret in defense, with only 23.33% of receiving efficiency in three group matches 파워볼추천
When the V-League opens, two of the three wing strikers will be up to foreign player Yasmin Bedart and Park Jung-ah, the highest-paid player in the women’s division. The other position is also likely to be captain Lee Han-bi, who recorded 39.23% receiving efficiency in the V League last season. If Park Eun-seo fails to gain an advantage in the competition with Park Kyung-hyun, who scored 484 points over the past two seasons, and Chae Sun-ah, who was recruited as an FA, it means that warm-up zone could become a more familiar player than the court in the 2023-2024 season