I lost setter (S) and libero (L), which can be called key positions, due to injury. The Korean women’s volleyball team, led by coach Cesar Hernandez, is going to hold on. Moon Jeong-won (Korea Expressway Corporation), who became the only libero, and Kim Ji-won (GS Caltex), the first setter with the Taegeuk mark, have heavy shoulders.
Korea is currently participating in the 2023 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL) competition. He played 4 matches in the first week in Turkiye, and is scheduled to go on an expedition to Brazil to play the second week of the tournament. The first game against Brazil in the second week will be held on the 15th at 9:00 am (Korean time).
When the national team departed on the 22nd of last month, 16 players left together, and setter Kim Ji-won and outside hitter Kim Da-eun (Heungkuk Life Insurance) were excluded from the 14-man roster for the first week. Ahead of the second week, the 14-member list was announced again. The names of setter Dain Kim (Hyundai E&C) and libero Yeonkyung Shin (IBK Industrial Bank of Korea), who also played as a starter in the first week, were missing.
Shin Yeon-kyung started in the first game of the first week, the match against Turki, and continued the rally by successfully defending against Vargas, the opponent’s main gun. Kim Da-in was also appointed as a starter in place of Yeom Hye-seon (KGC Ginseng Corporation) in the matches against the United States and Thailand, and actively utilized the middle blocker. However, both players also showed signs of feeling uncomfortable in their bodies during the game.
Dain Kim has an abdominal muscle injury. Shin Yeon-gyeong is also experiencing back pain.
Now setters Yeom Hye-seon and Kim Ji-won must lead on the court. Unlike Yeom Hye-sun, a member of the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, Kim Ji-won wore the Taegeuk mark for the first time this year. Kim Ji-won, born in 2001, was nominated by GS Caltex as the first overall pick in the 2020 V-League Rookie Draft, and in the previous season, he recorded 94 sets of 31안전놀이터 matches in the league. The possibility of hiring Yum Hye-sun seems high, but Kim Ji-won’s responsibility is also great. At the same time, it is an opportunity for Kim Ji-won. The fingertips of Kim Ji-won, who is about to debut in an international competition, are drawing attention.
In Week 2, there is only one libero resource available. Moon Jeong-won must endure. However, Moon Jeong-won is also an outside hitter on his team. He switched from the national team to the libero and is adjusting. The situation is not rosy.
Road Corporation coach Kim Jong-min also watched the VNL game. Director Kim said, “Jung-won is doing better than expected, but it is not easy to be a libero. The original defensive position is the opposite. So it will be difficult,” he said.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction manager Kang Seong-hyung is also keeping a close eye on Da-in Kim’s abs. Director Kang said, “First of all, we are managing at the association level, and we are watching the recovery process. He seems to have a strong will to run.”
Currently, South Korea is ranked 15th in the tournament after suffering a 0-3 shutout loss in all four games in Week 1. In a situation where they were leading by a large score difference, they gave up the flow with a large number of goals, leaving a deep regret. While Kim Da-in and Shin Yeon-kyung are away due to injuries, newcomers Kim Ji-won and Kim Da-eun, and Moon Jung-won, who is wearing a libero uniform, must endure to hope for the first victory in the tournament.