[Official] Army-bound national team MB's vacancy filled 'instantly'! Our Card signs 202cm Iranian representative Ahmadi

*This content was translated by AI.

The Seoul Our Card WON men's professional volleyball team has instantly filled the void left by national team middle blocker (MB) Lee Sang-hyun (27, stationed at the Army Sports Promotion Agency).

On the 9th, Our Card Volleyball Team announced, "We have signed Iranian national team middle blocker Martin Ahmadi (registered name: Martin)."

This signing aims to fill the central void caused by Lee Sang-hyun's enlistment in the Army Sports Promotion Agency and further strengthen the middle blocker lineup. Last season, Our Card, which had been competing for last place, switched to a system led by interim head coach Park Cheol-woo (41) after Round 3, recording 14 wins and 4 losses (winning percentage 77.7%), achieving a dramatic spring volleyball run. Both Asia quota outside hitter Ali Hagparast (registered name: Ali), who led the team's unstoppable charge from the front, and middle blocker Lee Sang-hyun departed simultaneously after the season through transfer and enlistment respectively, forcing Our Card to make a choice.

The result was the signing of Martin. Head Coach Park told StarNews last month, "Unfortunately, there were far fewer outside hitters available within the $120,000 limit than expected. There was naturally no player to replace Ali, and similar players came with prohibitively high costs. When asked whether a $120,000 Asia quota outside hitter is superior to domestic players, we judged they are not." He pointed out this cold reality.

He continued, "Now we have lost not only Ali but also Lee Sang-hyun. We decided to secure at least one position firmly. The existing middle blocker lineup is not bad either. We have Park Jun-hyuk, Park Jin-woo, and Jo Geun-ho, and among rookies, Son Yu-min stands out. However, the players who usually take on this role have injuries and are aging. Therefore, we needed a reliable pillar capable of sustaining through the long league. This was not about which position is better; when considering creating the situation with the least power loss within the current system, we believed middle blocker was the best option."

Born in 2001, Martin is a middle blocker who has played in Iran's Super League and excels in quick attacks and blocking using his impressive 202cm height. In 2025, he also represented the Iranian national team at the Volleyball Nations League (VNL). A Our Card Volleyball Team official stated, "We judged Martin to be a player with strengths in exceptional height, stable quick attacks, and blocking ability. We expect him to add stability to the team on both offense and defense."

Martin, who entered the country through Incheon International Airport on the 6th, showed great enthusiasm by immediately joining team training after passing medical tests. Martin said, "I am grateful to the club for giving me this good opportunity. I will do my best to adapt quickly to the team and show a good side to our fans."

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*This content was translated by AI.