The women’s professional volleyball FA (free agent) market has heated up with unprecedented moves. The internal competition landscape also draws attention.
‘Volleyball Empress’ Kim Yeon-kyung signed a contract with the 먹튀검증original team Heungkuk Life on the 16th for the maximum amount of compensation (775 million won). But other A-class players moved a lot. Park Jung-ah, who led Korea Expressway Corporation (Highway Corporation) to win the championship in the 2022-23 season, transferred to Pepper Savings Bank, which ranked last for two consecutive seasons, and Hwang Min-kyung, who was captain of Hyundai E&C, signed a contract with IBK Industrial Bank.
The move of the middle blocker (center) also drew attention. Among the national trio Daeyoung Jeong, Yuna Bae, and Suji Kim, Daeyoung Jeong and Suji Kim chose a new team. Jung Dae-young, the oldest active player, joined hands with GS Caltex, the “parent team,” after contributing to the road construction championship, and Kim Su-ji, the eldest sister of IBK, went to Heungkuk Life Insurance, where her best friend Kim Yeon-kyung is. It is foretelling a fierce competition for the rankings in the upcoming season.
Attention is also drawn to the internal competition of teams that have to reorganize their power composition by sending key players away.
First of all, Heungkuk Life Insurance, where Kim Su-ji joined, has no choice but to push one of the two existing twin tower players, Joo-ah Lee and Na-hee Kim, as a backup. Coach Marcello Abondanza predicted a strengthening of the central attack next season. Since there is a low possibility of recruiting a setter from outside, organizing the center is a priority.
Kim Na-hee is a player with a lot of experience and solid fundamentals. Lee Joo-ah is relatively mobile. Blocking is also better than Lee Joo-ah. However, there is a high possibility that Kim Soo-ji will take on the role he used to play. If you use two different types of centers, there is a possibility that Kim Na-hee will be paired with Kim Su-ji.
The Korea Expressway Corporation must immediately fill the gap left by Park Jung-ah, who was the ace. Rank 1 is Jeon Sae-yan. The club has renewed the contract for 210 million won with him, who has obtained FA qualification, and has virtually entrusted him with the starting lineup.
Still, it is impossible to guarantee the predominance of the main competition. There is no guarantee what Sae-yan Jeon, who had relatively little playing time, will look like. There are strikers who showed growth potential in the last two seasons, such as Kim Sae-in and Lee Ye-eun.
Hyundai E&C also has to fill Hwang Min-kyung’s position. It is only natural that Go Ye-rim and Jung Ji-yoon’s range of uses is expanding. Both players have obvious strengths and weaknesses, so they need a replacement for Hwang Min-kyung’s steady and fighting play.
The transfer of key players is directly related to a decrease in power. But for some it’s an opportunity. The women’s division of the V-League is also facing an opportunity for a new face and a new star to emerge.
