As professional volleyball enters the second half and heats up the competition for championship and spring volleyball, attention is drawn to who will be the protagonist of the ‘Rookie King’, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In the men’s division, there is a high possibility that the pride fight between the famous teams of the V-League tradition will become a family fight in the women’s division.
The strong candidates for the male rookie of the year are Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance middle blocker Kim Jun-woo and Hyundai Capital setter Lee Hyun-seung. They are the only players who are active as a key player in the V-League this season. Coincidentally, both players are being coached by legendary coaches in their respective positions. Kim Jun-woo was selected by legendary middle blocker Kim Sang-woo, and Lee Hyun-seung was selected by Choi Tae-woong, a former Myeong-setter.
Kim Jun-woo is playing the most games among rookies this season. He took 23 out of 24 total in round 4 and set 81. He is scoring 127 points and shooting 53.24% of his offense. Blocking (0.531 per set) and fast break (54.03%) are ranked ninth overall. It is far ahead in the number of appearances and records.
Lee Hyun-seung joined Hyundai Capital as the 2nd pick in the 1st round of the 2022-2023 rookie draft. He played in 14 matches and 49 sets by the 4th round. At the beginning of the season, Kim Myung-gwan and Lee Won-joong kept the warm-up zone, but he contributed to the team’s second place by participating in all the games from the second game of the 3rd round to the last game of the 4th round. Hyunseung Lee has an advantage in his team’s performance. If Hyundai Capital plays a role in winning the championship in the short-term postseason, the rookie of the year will inevitably lean towards Lee Hyun-seung.
In the women’s division, KGC Ginseng Corporation’s family fight is likely. This is because KGC Ginseng Corporation setter Park Eun-ji and libero Choi Hyo-seo are performing outstandingly compared to other rookie players.
Park Eun-ji imprinted herself with bold play uncharacteristic of a rookie when starting setter Yeom Hye-seon was sluggish, and Choi Hyo-seo added stability to the defense amid the long-term injury of starter Libero Yellow. As of the 1st, Park Eun-ji is playing the most games among rookies with 20 matches and 46 sets, followed by Choi Hyo-seo with 17 matches and 43 sets. In addition, Lee Min-seo of Pepper Savings Bank and Yoon-woo Kim of IBK Industrial Bank also appear in their spare time. 안전놀이터
All first-place players, both men and women, are not playing the same role. Pepper Savings Bank’s 195 cm tall middle blocker Yeom Er-Hung, who received high expectations as the first overall in the women’s division, played only two games due to an injury. Shin Ho-jin, the outside hitter of OK Financial Group, who ranks first in the men’s division, performed well by participating in 17 games, filling in the injury void of the main players at the beginning of the season, but withdrew due to an injury in the 4th round.