“Mentality and game management have grown significantly”: Han Tae-jun of Seoul Woori Card, nurtured by the national team, secures a decisive win in a setter showdown: “I always approach (Hwang) Taek-ye’s senior with a mindset of learning”

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Although Han Tae-jun (22, Seoul Woori Card) had little time to build chemistry with his teammates after returning from the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, he had grown a notch higher.

Woori Card secured a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-21) sweep victory in the first match of Group B at the 2026 Yeosu-NH Nonghyup Cup Professional Volleyball Tournament (KOVO Cup) against Uijeongbu KB Insurance, held on the 20th at Yeosu Jinnam Gymnasium.

With KB Insurance suffering a second consecutive loss, Han Tae-jun was at the center of Woori Card’s first win and their confirmed advancement to the semifinals.

Woori Card head coach Park Cheol-woo expressed expectations regarding Han Tae-jun before the match, stating, “He has no major injuries and is in good condition. He hasn’t been here long, and he had about a week of rest and adjustment time,” while adding, “In our final practice, the overall chemistry was not bad.”

Centered on opposite spiker Rafael Araujo (registered name: Araujo) and outside hitter Kim Hyung-geun, the team utilized Asian quota outside hitter Martin Ahmadi (registered name: Martin), Lee Si-mon, and Park Jin-woo evenly to secure a sweep victory. They also demonstrated high attacking efficiency, with Araujo scoring 18 points (61.54% attack success rate), Kim Hyung-geun 14 points (48%), and Martin 11 points (76.92%).

After the match, head coach Park Cheol-woo evaluated, “Han Tae-jun has good athletic ability. After returning from the national team, his judgment on how to execute plays for good attacks and who to set up has improved further. He said that for the team to do well, the setter and I must perform well.”

Han Tae-jun himself explained that the national team was a major driving force for his growth. He stated, “I learned a lot about my attitude toward matches, my mindset during play, and mentally,” adding, “It was difficult after surgery and I felt down, but I experienced international competitiveness with the national team and learned how to handle things whether they are going well or not.”

Although he secured a decisive win in a showdown against Hwang Taek-ye (30), who had been the starting setter for the national team, Han Tae-jun said, “I consider it an honor to face (Hwang) Taek-ye’s senior on the opposing side and always approach it with a mindset of learning,” adding, “Rather than worrying about that, I focused on chemistry and played because it was the first match of the new season.”

There were concerns that the gap would be large after Ali Haghighat (registered name: Ali), who had formed a double act with Araujo, left the team, but they secured an easy win by utilizing Martin well. Han Tae-jun expressed confidence, saying, “Last year we utilized the double act, but this time we are practicing middle and time-difference plays. Even without Ali, our team has many good outside hitters, so if we manage them well, I think Woori Card can expect a good result again this time.”

Although he has not had much time to build chemistry with Martin, they showed better coordination than expected. Han Tae-jun said modestly, “It wasn’t like this in practice, but after watching a lot of video, I found out he likes flowing quick attacks,” adding, “We matched our rhythm through more communication, and today Martin’s body was in such good shape that we just had to set it up and he hit it well on his own.”

He also has an accurate grasp of how to utilize veteran foreign player Araujo. Head coach Park Cheol-woo stated regarding Araujo that there are no major issues with his condition, while noting, “When the tempo is short, he sometimes shows poor form.” Han Tae-jun said, “As a senior who is older, it shows just by looking at his expression. He sweats a lot,” adding, “I also try to only set good balls when chance balls come to Araujo, and if he is not tired, I look for him even in difficult situations.”

After a day of rest, Woori Card will play the first-place decider against Suwon KEPCO, and if they advance to the finals, they will face either Incheon Korean Air or Cheonan Hyundai Capital. In the next match, they will face veteran setter Lee Min-gyu, and in the finals, they will be matched against Han Seon-su or Hwang Seung-bin. The setter showdown featuring Han Tae-jun is expected to be a key point of interest in this cup tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original