The outline of the V-League Men’s Rookie of the Year competition is being drawn.
The most prominent rookies in the V-League men’s division this season are Hyundai Capital setter Lee Hyun-seung and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance middle blocker Kim Jun-woo.
Lee Hyun-seung, who was nominated by Hyundai Capital in the 1st round and 2nd in the rookie draft last year, is leading the team by playing in 11 games this season and digesting 38 sets. In the beginning, he was pushed back by Kim Myeong-gwan and Lee Won-joong, but he got his first chance in November and has been playing the role of commander since December. He is expanding his presence by receiving good reviews from Hyundai Capital coach Choi Tae-woong, who is particularly picky with setters.
Hyundai Capital, whose main setter has been constantly changing, is finding stability in its performance with Lee Hyun-seung as the starting pitcher from the 3rd round. Recorded 5 wins and 3 losses in 8 matches. Two of the three losses were to leading Korean Air. That’s not a bad score.
Lee Hyun-seung is showing a boldness uncharacteristic of a rookie by utilizing a variety of left and right open, quick open, center fast attacks, and pipe attacks. Looking at only the 3rd and 4th rounds, Hyunseung Lee is in second place in the set ranking with 10.219 rounds per set. Considering that it is the first year, it is definitely more than expected. As there is a saying, ‘Volleyball is a setter game’, Lee Hyun-seung seems well qualified to become the Rookie of the Year.
Kim Jun-woo, who will threaten Lee Hyun-seung, is a middle blocker who joined Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance with the 3rd pick in the 1st round of the draft. He played consistently from the beginning of the season and took the starting position in earnest from the second round. He guards the center of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance along with his senior colleague Ha Hyun-yong. He plays an active role as the core of the Samsung Fire Center with his quick feet, swing and powerful attack. He is evaluated as a player with several advantages as a middle blocker.
Kim Jun-woo is 9th in this category with 0.5 blocks per set. He has a total of 102 points on 5.63% offensive share. Last season, outside hitter Park Seung-soo (OK Financial Group) scored 92 points and became the rookie of the year 바카라. Even considering that it is an award that includes his defensive skills, it is definitely a noteworthy achievement that a first-year middle blocker scored triple digits. It would not be strange if he pushed out Lee Hyun-seung and received the Rookie of the Year title. In addition, Kim Jun-woo played a lot more matches than Lee Hyun-seung with 72 sets.
The key is the performance in the second half. Depending on how he spends the remaining two months, his chances of winning may change. The more consistent, the rookie who leaves a strong impact can move closer to the trophy.