Reached the finals six times but won only once... '190cm left-handed setter' Song Jeong-min vows: "I will show why Su-seong is Su-seong at the National Sports Festival" [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Su-seong High School's 2026 has been unusually tied to finals appearances. The team reached the final stage no fewer than six times. At the center of it all was Song Jeong-min (18, 190cm), who serves as both captain and starting setter.

On the 6th, Su-seong High School fell to Inha UniversityHigh School with a set score of 1-3 (20-25, 25-18, 17-25, 23-25) in the under-18 boys' final of the '2026 IBK Industrial Bank of Korea Cup National Middle and High School Volleyball Tournament' held at Jecheon Gymnasium in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, settling for runner-up.

There were many shortcomings overall in both offense and defense. Throughout the match, Su-seong struggled against Inha UniversityHigh School's height advantage. In the first set, they were overwhelmed by Inha's quick attacks, and with both teams' receiving shaky, they failed to gain momentum as decisive moments were repeatedly blocked by opponents. Another factor contributing to their loss was the mid-match withdrawal of second-year star Kim Tae-hoon (17) due to a shoulder injury.

Amid this, setter Song Jeong-min's valiant efforts stood out. After struggling with first-set execution, Song opened up the second set with diverse offensive patterns. He actively utilized Song Eun-woo while also shaking up opponents' reception with his own powerful serves. Additionally, he created scoring opportunities through clever plays such as back Tosses and pass paints to the opposite side. This was a clear indication of why both Song Jeong-min and Inha's tall setter Jung Jun-hyeok (18, 197cm) are considered promising setters.

After the match, Song Jeong-min told StarNews, "Although this tournament had many ups and downs, we managed to overcome them and reached the finals. However, I think it's a chronic issue that whenever we reach the finals, we fail to cross the final hurdle and end up losing. Today (the 6th), we didn't deliver when we needed to in defense or counterattack situations. As a result, our momentum wavered, and the game became difficult."

In fact, Su-seong High School reached the finals six times this year. However, they claimed the championship only once — by defeating Cheonan High School in May at the 81st National Category Volleyball Championship. Particularly, they have had a string of misfortunes against Inha UniversityHigh School. In March, Su-seong lost to Inha in a fierce five-set battle during the 2026 Spring National Middle and High School Volleyball Federation Tournament. Once again, this time at the Industrial Bank of Korea Cup final, they failed to overcome Inha's wall.

Song Jeong-min said, "Personally, I believe I showed more stability as the season progressed compared to the early part. However, as captain and as a third-year setter, I should have been leading my teammates better, and I feel there were some shortcomings in my leadership." He evaluated himself coolly.

Like many recent trends in volleyball, Song is also a second-generation volleyball player. His father, Song Won-young, currently coaches the boys' team at Sosa Middle School, while his mother, Kwak Ji-young, previously served as a coach at Ilsin Girls' Middle School. Naturally raised in an environment close to volleyball, he officially began his path as a player in fifth grade of elementary school.

As a setter, Song has distinct characteristics. His strong serve, leveraging his left-handedness, is a key strength. Despite being a setter, he enjoys plays where he directly scores one or two points through blocking and defense. He also actively utilizes back Tosses to expand offensive options. His role model is Antoine Brizard (32, Osaka Blue Thunder), a former French national team setter.

Brizard was the key figure who led France to gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021) and the 2024 Paris Olympics as a starting setter. Despite standing at 196cm, he is known for his exceptional agility and preference for quick Tosses. His powerful serves and involvement in scoring through one-handed pass paints align with what Song Jeong-min aims to achieve. Song stated, "Brizard plays aggressively while maintaining stable setting and performing well in height battles. Those aspects are what I admire, which is why I chose him as my role model."

Song also consistently follows the V-League. Rather than supporting just one team, he observes setters from various teams such as Korean Air and KB Insurance to incorporate their plays into his own game. The rich experience of Coach Cho In-jeong, who took charge in June last year, has also been helpful.

Song Jeong-min said, "Coach Cho always tries to do one more thing for us. Watching her like that makes me feel deeply respectful." He added, "I plan to rest for about three days and then start managing my body again. I usually do weight training very frequently, but while preparing for this tournament, I felt that part was lacking. To deliver even better performance, I intend to work harder on exercises including weight training."

The biggest stage remaining for Su-seong High School is the National Sports Festival scheduled for October. Song Jeong-min, who is determined to make a comeback after brief rest, will immediately begin physical conditioning following a three-day break. He vowed, "In the next tournament, I want to compensate more for the parts where we fail to cross the final hurdle and show everyone 'why Su-seong is Su-seong'."

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*This content was translated by AI.