A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Pro Volleyball Rookie of the Year competition ‘4 people, 4 colors’

In the men's division, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's Lee Jae-hyun and KB Insurance's Kwon Tae-wook are in focus. In the women's division, road construction company Kim Se-bin and GS Caltex Lee Yun-shin are active.

As interest is growing in winning various individual awards in the men's and women's professional volleyball Dodram 2023-2024 V-League, the competition for Rookie of the Year, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, has become even more heated.

The Pro Volleyball Rookie of the Year Award, which is selected by vote of the press after the regular season ends, will be awarded to one person each from the men's and women's divisions.

The 17 new players who debuted on the professional stage this season are steadily gaining experience. Among them, men's setter Lee Jae-hyeon (Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance), outside heater (left attacker) Kwon Tae-wook (KB Insurance), women's middle blocker (center attacker) Kim Se-bin (Korea Expressway Corporation), and setter Lee Yun-shin (GS Caltex) stand out.

Lee Jae-hyun, who was selected 7th in the second round in the 2023-2024 men's rookie draft and joined Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, took the court in the KB Non-Life Insurance game on November 1 last year and became the first men's rookie to make his V-League debut.

Jaehyun Lee's strengths are his sharp serve and bold play. Lee Jae-hyun, who has been a substitute and a one-point server since the beginning of the season, participated directly in the attack, including a bold quick attack in the Woori Card game on the 19th of last month, leading the team to escape their fourth consecutive loss.

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance coach Kim Sang-woo said, “Is there any rookie who can step up as a setter and do that well? “He has guts, confidence and strength,” he said, adding, “As he is a hard-working player, he will get better as he gains experience,” and expressed his expectations for Lee Jae-hyeon’s potential.

Kwon Tae-wook, the future of KB Insurance, was selected third in the second round of the men's rookie draft last year. Jaehyun Lee has shown decent skills in both attack and reception since his days at Sungkyunkwan University, and has the versatility to play the libero (professional defender) position.

He appeared in 12 games this season, earning the second most appearances among men's rookies. He has a 37.93% receiving efficiency and 8 points scored. Kim Se-bin, known as a top prospect, joined the Korea Expressway Corporation as the first pick in the first round of the women's rookie draft. Her 187cm physique and volleyball talent inherited from her parents stand out. Kim Se-bin's father is Kim Cheol-soo, former head coach of Korea Electric Power Company, and her mother is Kim Nam-soon, who played for Korea-Japan Synthetic Team in the 1990s.

Kim Se-bin is filling the void left by Chung Dae-young, who transferred to GS Caltex after last season. She played in 24 matches, the most of any rookie in the men's and women's divisions, and ranked sixth in the division with 0.58 blocks per set.

Kim Se-bin also enjoyed the joy of being the only male and female rookie to be selected for this season's All-Star Game.

Lee Yun-shin, who wore the GS Caltex uniform as the 4th pick in the first round of the women's rookie draft last year, is alleviating the team's setter concerns with her unique fast and light toss. At the beginning of the season, he occasionally played as Kim Ji-won's backup setter, and on the 2nd of last month, he started as a starter and contributed to the team's complete victory.

GS Caltex coach Cha Sang-hyeon said of Lee Yun-shin, “He is a setter who gets the ball in his hands well and moves out with speed. He praised, “It seems like he basically knows how to run the operation in his head,” and “He has the basic abilities that a setter should have.”

In addition, men's setter Park Tae-seong (OK Financial Group) and women's Apogee spiker (right striker) Shin Eun-ji (Korea Expressway Corporation) are showing potential in the league. 섯다