"Spring volleyball even without Kim Yeon-koung": Heungkuk Life aims to reclaim the throne! Kim Su-ji: "We will repay you with good results" — Team holds departure ceremony with fans

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Even after the retirement of "Queen of Volleyball" Kim Yeon-koung (38), Heungkuk Life successfully advanced to the spring playoffs, and now sets out on a new season with the goal of reclaiming the top spot.

The Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders announced, "On the 24th, we held the '2026~2027 Season FAN Departure Ceremony' at Incheon Samseon World Gymnasium, reaffirming our resolve for the new season together with fans."

Head coach Yoshihara Tomoko (56) and 20 players attended the event. The players shared their goals for the new season and spent time communicating with fans.

The upcoming season is another challenge for Heungkuk Life. After achieving a comprehensive championship in the 2024~2025 season led by Kim Yeon-koung, the team faced significant changes following her retirement. They had to build a new team under the guidance of head coach Yoshihara, a former Japanese national team player. There were no small concerns. Forecasts emerged that a decline in power was inevitable with the departure of Kim Yeon-koung, who had been the center of the team's offense. However, Heungkuk Life finished fourth in the 2025~2026 regular season with a record of 19 wins and 17 losses, accumulating 57 points.

Although they matched GS Caltex in number of wins and points, they fell to fourth place due to a lower set win-loss ratio. In the first-ever quarterfinals held in the women's division, they lost to GS Caltex with a set score of 1-3, concluding their season. While they did not reach the top, there was an achievement in advancing to the postseason in the first season since Kim Yeon-koung's departure. In particular, head coach Yoshihara led the team's transformation by emphasizing scoring participation from various players and organizational strength rather than concentrating attacks on specific players.

Reinforcements were also made ahead of the new season. In April, they signed veteran outside hitter Pyo Seung-ju (34), a former national team player. Pyo Seung-ju, who had served as a commentator for one season, decided to return to active duty and donned the Heungkuk Life uniform. The task for this season is to elevate the team's power through the growth of existing players and the harmony with new resources.

During their season preparation, Heungkuk Life also conducted joint training with the Osaka Marbles in Japan. This was Yoshihara's former team, which she had led for nine years in the past. The players experienced volleyball of different styles and checked their organizational strength and tactics.

Having gone through such a preparation process, Heungkuk Life expressed its resolve for the new season before fans at the departure ceremony that day. The event proceeded in the following order: player entrance and individual greetings, head coach Yoshihara's announcement of season resolve, player Q&A, screening of AI cheer song content, announcement of the season slogan, screening of the departure video, and group commemorative photo shoot.

In particular, during the player Q&A, players' off-court daily lives and in-team episodes were introduced based on questions sent by fans in advance. The players answered stories that fans had been curious about, spending time communicating with them.

A special cheer song content produced using AI technology was also revealed. Following this, they presented the new season slogan and departure video, sharing the team's goal of reclaiming the top spot. After the official event ended, a fan signing session was held for membership members. The players met fans directly, delivered autographs, and expressed gratitude for their support.

Captain Kim Su-ji (39) stated, "I am truly happy to be able to share this new season with you all, our fans. I am grateful to the fans who have always sent us unwavering support." She continued, "This season, we will unite as one and repay you with even better performance and results."

A Heungkuk Life volleyball club official said, "It was a meaningful time to be able to share the team's resolve with fans ahead of the new season," adding, "We will do our best to repay your passionate support this season as well."

Heungkuk Life will play its 2026~2027 V-League home opener against SOOP Supers at Incheon Samseon World Gymnasium at 4 p.m. on November 1. This will also be the first official V-League match for SOOP Supers, which newly launched after acquiring Pepper Savings Bank.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original