V-League courts have changed: Two foreign players can now play on the court at the same time.
The Dodram V-League 2023-2024 season kicked off on Thursday with a game between Korean Air and Hyundai Capital at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon. This is the first season that the league will have two foreign players on the court at the same time under the newly introduced Asian quota and foreign players.
Korean Air named Filipino outside hitter Mark Espejo (registered name Espejo) and Hyundai Capital named Taiwanese middle blocker Tsai Fei-chang (registered name Fei-chang) as their first Asian quota players. Of the two, Pei-Chang started the opening game and made his V-League debut. On the opposite side of the court was Heo Su-bong.
Before the game, Hyundai Capital head coach Choi Tae-woong said, “Our chemistry is not perfect, but we are preparing for it considering that it is the beginning of the season. There is no reason to exclude him because he is afraid of making mistakes,” he said, predicting that he would start.
His first point in the V-League came on a fast break in the first set at 3-2. As soon as he scored, he ran around the court and raised the atmosphere. Following the fastball, he also made a blocking point. At 10-10 in the first set, he single-handedly blocked a quick-open attack by Cho Jae-young to turn the score around.토토사이트
The high fastball hit utilizing her 205 centimeters was quite powerful. Pei Chang finished the game with seven points, including two blocks. His attacking success rate was 83.33%.
Ahmed Iqbairi (real name Ahmed), who switched from Samsung Fire to Hyundai Capital, was in the apogee. His high hitting and attacking prowess from last season continued this time around. He made his presence felt in the first set, scoring 13 points.
Consistently the team’s top scorer in each set, Ahmed finished with a team-high 30 points. Although the team did not win, it was a successful start to their second season in the V-League.
Hyundai Capital head coach Choi Tae-woong was also pleased to see two foreign players on the roster at the same time. “Ahmed did a great job,” Choi said. He’s established himself as the team’s atmosphere maker, and he leads the players well. Pei Chang is passive. He still needs to adjust to Korean volleyball.”
He also sees it as a fresh impetus. “There are a lot of domestic players now, so I thought we could increase the number of clubs. I felt that the players in the Asia Quarter are also competitive and have improved a lot,” he said.