If there is a team to choose from the men’s V-League, which was launched in 2005, it is definitely Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance. Including the first year’s championship, he lifted the trophy a total of eight times, including seven consecutive losses in the championship game from the 2007-2008 season to the 2013-2014 season. Of course, this is the highest record for men and women in the V-League.
However, a long “dark period” came after winning the regular league title in the 2014-2015 season and losing the direct championship match against OK Financial Group. The biggest reason is that they have not been able to supply high-quality players in the rookie draft after a long time of dominating the championship.
In the 2016-2017 season, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, which failed to advance to volleyball in the first spring after its foundation, seemed to recover its honor by climbing to second place in the regular league in the 2017-2018 season, but fell to Korean Air in the playoffs that year. That was the last spring volleyball. From the 2018-2019 season to the 2022-2023 season, he failed to advance to spring volleyball for five consecutive seasons. Even in the 2020-2021 season and the 2022-2023 season, it was at the bottom.
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance spent ‘lost five years’. It seems to finally turn on the stretch of resurrection. After reaching the final of the KOVO Cup for the first time in five years since 2018, he ended up finishing runner-up after a close match, but he showed a different appearance throughout the tournament and foreshadowed good performance in the upcoming V-League.
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance lost to OK Financial Group 1-3 (23-25 25-22 23-25 20-25) in the final of the 2023 Gumi-Bodram Cup Professional Volleyball Tournament held at Park Chung-hee Gymnasium in Gumi, Gyeongbuk on the 13th. Following 2009 and 2018, it was unfortunately defeated on the threshold of winning the third KOVO Cup in the club’s history.
It would have been better if it had ended with the championship, but there is no need to be disappointed with the runner-up. This is because a new face has been selected that can be used in the upcoming 2023-2024 V-League. The main character is Park Seong-jin , an outside hitter in his second year as a pro. Born in 2000 from Myongji University, Park Seong-jin was selected as the 4th pick in the 2nd round of the rookie draft last year. As you can see from his nominations, his expectations were not very high. He was also not tall at 190 cm. His last season, the first year of his debut, was a total of 17 points in 15 appearances.
After finishing last season, Park Seong-jin focused on weight and ball training. According to an official from Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, one of the players who trained the hardest during the off-season was Park Seong-jin. Sweat did not betray. In this KOVO Cup, he played as an apologetic spiker, not his main position. As a result of focusing on the attack without receiving a receive, explosive attack power came out. Park Seong-jin, who led the team’s attack in the group stage, scored 23 points and a 50% attack success rate in the semifinal match against Korean Air, leading the team to the final.
In the finals, he had a ‘showdown’ with OK Financial Group’s same-age apositive spiker Shin Ho-jin (Park Seong-jin, born in 2000, and Shin Shin-jin, born in 2001), and never fell behind. Shin Ho-jin, who recorded 34 points and an attack success rate of 72.34%, received the MVP, and Park Seong-jin also won the MIP (runner-up team Distinguished Player Award) by showing off his ‘ace instinct’ with 30 points and an attack success rate of 67.44%.
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance suffered significant physical deterioration as they played three days in a row, from the last game of the group stage (11th), semi-final (12th), and final (13th). OK Financial Group, which had one day between the last match of the group stage (9th) and the semi-final (11th), had a relatively physical advantage. If the schedules of the two teams had changed, the results of the day might have changed. Despite the three-day forced march, Park Seong-jin’s attack power grew sharper and sharper. In a situation where his stamina is severely deteriorating, he also showed a strong heart that does not shiver even on the big stage.
Samsung Fire & Marine Manager Kim Sang-woo, who entered the interview room with a somewhat disappointed expression after the game, said, “OK Financial Group’s performance was good. On the other hand, we also made mistakes that we didn’t normally make,” admitting the opponent’s victory.
The unfavorable schedule must have made director Kim feel sorry for him as well. He said, “I don’t want to see things like the deterioration of physical strength due to the schedule of three days in a row, but somehow Group B in the KOVO Cup has no choice but to have such a schedule. This has been said before, but it is true that Group B is difficult. Of course, it is something we have to overcome.”
Even in the disappointing runner-up, coach Kim saw hope in the players. Manager Kim said, “It is true that the players were depressed after last season. The process of preparing for this tournament and the team atmosphere improved as we played the game. I also gained confidence. I hope this tournament will be a great opportunity for the players,” he said. “I want to say thank you to the players who worked hard during a difficult schedule.”
In the upcoming V-League, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance will become stronger than its current strength. This is because the opening of the V-League will be held with Yosubani Hernandez, who was selected as the first overall foreign player tryout, and Eddie, who was the first in the Asia Quarter. In the current drawing, Eddie will play the Apposite Spiker and Yosubani will play the outside heater. In this KOVO Cup, Kim Jeong-ho, who played as the main outside heater, and Shin Shin-ho, Park Seong-jin, are expected to compete for the remaining outside heater spot. Kim Jeong-ho, who has shown the most in the past, is still ahead, but Shin Shin-ho also showed a sense of stability in attacking and receiving in this KOVO Cup, and Park Sung-jin showed off his explosive attack power, so the competition between the three players is expected to become more intense. If the three players compete and grow together, Samsung Fire & Marine’s power will become stronger.
Manager Kim said, “Eddie and Yosubani are aggressive players. Matching the wing striker combination is the homework until the opening of the V-League. Park Seong-jin’s growth is one more option. I will try to make it well.”
by: 배트맨토토