"Dopamine is out." 165cm high school girl rookie, serve ace → Hyundai Engineering & Construction stopped eight consecutive wins due to decisive digs

*This content was translated by AI.

GS Caltex rookie Libero Kim Hyo-im (19) changed the flow of the game with bold serve and digs. The scapegoat was strong team Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which was on an eight-game winning streak.

GS Caltex beat Hyundai Engineering & Construction with a set score of 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-17, 25-15) in the fourth round of the women's team of Jin Air 2025-2026 V-League at Suwon Indoor Gymnasium on the 3rd.

As a result, GS Caltex, which stopped Hyundai Engineering & Construction's winning streak at "8," rose to fourth place with 9 wins and 10 losses (8 wins, 11 losses, 27 points). The middle-ranked battle has intensified by just two points from Heungkuk Life (9-10, 30 points) in third place.

The fan pang player selected by the broadcaster on the day was rookie Libero Kim Hyo-im. Kim Hyo-im firmly defended the rear side along with the existing Han Soo-jin as he was deployed when strikers such as Raina Tokoku (registered name Raina) stepped down to the rear. Kim Hyo-im was put in place of Reyna in the third set when the two teams faced 4-4, and as soon as he came in, he succeeded in scoring his first professional debut as a serve ace. In defense, the receiving efficiency reached 60%, including stably receiving the serve of Kim Hee-jin and Kim Da-in.

Kim Hyo-im, who met with reporters after the game, said, "I was taking a group photo to commemorate the victory after the game, and I was embarrassed because my sisters told me I was pang pang pang." I couldn't think of anything, so I even talked about my mom while talking to someone I'm grateful for," he said with a shy smile. "When I scored a serve, I shouted without realizing it. "I knew it was my first score on debut, so dopamine came out," he said. "It's really good to be able to play a role in the dig and the team winning."

The highlight was the third set with GS Caltex leading 8-5. Kim Hyo-im reflexively hit Jastis' attack heading to his right. The ball led to Yoo's score, and GS Caltex took the lead. In response, Kim Hyo-im said, "Through pre-game analysis, we first positioned the defense. "Because I'm a foreign player, I had a variable, so I tried to catch the ball that bounced to the side with quickness," he said.

It's a calmness that can't be seen as a rookie player. Kim Hyo-im is a libero who joined GS Caltex as the fourth-ranked player in the second round of the 2025-2026 V-League Women's Rookie Draft after graduating from Shownu Girls' High School. He made his first professional debut against Pepper Savings Bank in the second round on the 5th of last month. Since then, he has been selected as the first Pang Pang Player in less than a month, so he is growing rapidly. He settled as a libero from his first year of high school due to his short height for a volleyball player at 165cm, but gaining experience in various positions as a middle blocker in elementary school and an outside heater in middle school helped.

Kim Hyo-im said, "The height was the reason why I chose Libero, but the teachers said I had a good defense sense," adding, "In fact, the national team is also a position (Libero), so I learned hard and thought of helping whether it was a one-point server or a one-point server." But as I used Tu Rivero in the team, I had a good opportunity and I was able to get in," he explained.

Before the game, GS Caltex coach Lee Young-taek said to Kim Hyo-im, "I had good receiving and defense during training, but I did better than I thought, so I can do it as a servo." He is a rookie who carefully expressed his confidence in this part. Kim Hyo-im said, "I think I served well when I was young. My serve has a part where the ball is shaking, so I thought I could put it in with a little more shaking if I hit it correctly. I think calmness has led to good results," he said with a smile.

The role model is Han Soo-jin, a senior in the same position. Han Soo-jin is a libero who has a strength in quickness while taking a wide range of defense with compliance athleticism. Kim Hyo-im said, "I watched a GS Caltex practice video once. I saw (Han) Soo-jin working really hard there. "If you listen to people around you, Su-jin was always the first player to come out and leave work at the end," he recalled.

"I also joined the team myself and I thought it was even more amazing to see Su-jin. "I want to do well by working hard like my sister," she said. "Su-jin teaches me a lot of things, such as how to position the defense and how to use the range widely. When I go into the court, I'm learning a lot because he gave me a big autograph and told me well."

Kim Hyo-im has also shown his freshness as a high school student. He is in his fourth month as a professional who was also selected as the MVP of the game, but he is still a high school student because he has not graduated. Kim Hyo-im said, "I saved all my first salary. "I give all the money to my parents and get pocket money," he said with a smile, adding, "What I need to supplement in the future is not to be nervous about easy balls. "I'll run on high alert because I can make mistakes while being careless," he said with force.

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*This content was translated by AI.