A 4% miracle secured the No. 3 pick, yet they chose 'another' two outside hitters... Why did Woori Card embrace a 200cm attacker and a 'second Kwak Seung-seok'?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Woori Card Woori WON volleyball team, which had boasted a deep bench of outside hitters (OH), selected only two outside hitters despite pulling off a 4% miracle to secure the third overall pick.

Woori Card selected Jeon Yu-seok (21, Jungbu University) with the third overall pick in the first round and Park Woo-young (21, Hanyang University) with the 10th overall pick in the second round at the 2026-2027 Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) Men's Rookie Draft held on the 28th at the Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Both players are outside hitters.

Initially, Woori Card had only a 4% chance of securing the first overall pick. However, in the actual lottery, they enjoyed the luck of obtaining the third selection right, following OK Savings Bank and Hyundai Capital. Immediately after the draft, Coach Park stated, "We selected the best players available at our turn. We needed many outside hitter resources this season," adding, "Both players can receive serves while also possessing attacking power. I believe they are players who can fully lead Woori Card's future."

This choice aligns with Woori Card's ongoing roster restructuring that began in the previous off-season. After Asian quota player Ali Haghpour (25, registered name: Ali) left for the Greek league following last season, the team faced a dilemma. Ali was a key attacker who recorded 544 points and a 52.41% attack success rate in 34 matches during the 2025-2026 season and was selected to the Best 7.

However, Woori Card determined that they did not necessarily need to fill Ali's void with another outside hitter. With national team middle blocker Lee Sang-hyun (27) also entering military service, they signed Iranian national team veteran Martin Ahmadi (25, registered name: Martin) as an Asian quota player to reinforce the center.

At the time, Coach Park explained, "Our team has many good outside hitters. If we face a team with strong serves and our reception wavers, we can use Ishimon and Han Seong-jeong. If we need height, we can utilize Kim Ji-han and Kim Hyeong-geun. If we want to be more aggressive, we have Kim Ji-han, Han Seong-jeong, and Kim Dong-min."

Indeed, Woori Card has outside hitters with diverse strengths, including Kim Ji-han (27), Han Seong-jeong (30), Ishimon (34), Kim Hyeong-geun (24), and Kim Dong-min (23). The plan to utilize various players appropriately to fill Ali's absence was not a bad one. They confirmed this potential on the 20th in the match against KB Insurance at the Yeosu KOVO Cup. In Coach Park's official debut as head coach, Woori Card achieved a decisive 3-0 victory, with starter Kim Hyeong-geun contributing 14 points.

However, challenges also emerged. With Kim Ji-han missing the entire cup tournament due to lower back pain, Woori Card lost 2-3 in a comeback defeat against KEPCO on the 22nd despite taking the first two sets, and fell 0-3 in the semifinal against Korean Air on the 24th. In particular, in the match against Korean Air, Raphael Araujo (35, registered name: Araujo) fought hard with 24 points, but Kim Hyeong-geun managed only 14 points and Kim Dong-min just 7. Central attacks were also not smooth, causing the offense to concentrate on the wings, including Araujo.

Korean Air made a bold choice to abandon one side and deploy three blockers against Araujo, dominating the blocking count 12-3. They also committed 28 errors, which was 11 more than their opponents. Of course, the cause of the cup tournament defeat cannot be attributed solely to the outside hitters. Various issues appeared in combination, such as coordination between the setter and middle blockers, team organization, and error management. However, it was reconfirmed that consistent support from domestic wing attackers is necessary to reduce the offensive burden concentrated on the foreign star player.

In this situation, the two rookies selected by Woori Card possess different weapons. Jeon Yu-seok has a unique background as a former libero despite his 200cm height. He specialized in defense due to his short stature but grew rapidly during high school and transitioned to an attacker. In college, he received the KUSF University Volleyball U-League Attack Award in 2025, and this year at the Danyang Tournament, he recorded a 58% attack success rate and 43% reception efficiency, also winning the Defense Award.

Coach Park said, "I thought of Jeon Yu-seok first from the beginning," adding, "Because he played libero, his reception is solid. His attacking power can be sufficiently improved if he supplements his stamina and skills upon entering the pro league and coordinates well with good setters. A player with that height has limitless potential." Woori Card coach Lee Kang-won (36) also evaluated him, saying, "If he provides reception like a libero and receives coaching from the director on attacking, he will become a really good attacker."

On the other hand, Park Woo-young is over 11cm shorter than Jeon Yu-seok at 188.7cm, but his strengths are excellent jumping power and hang time. Recognized for his performance in both offense and defense at Hanyang University, he earned the nickname "second Kwak Seung-seok." At the 2026 Danyang Tournament, he recorded a 66% attack success rate and 52% attack efficiency, also receiving the Defense Award.

Coach Park explained, "If Jeon Yu-seok had not remained until our turn, we would have selected Park Woo-young. His jumping power is quite good for his height, and he showed a stable performance while specializing in reception. I judged that he has sufficient value as a wing attacker." Coach Lee Kang-won also hinted, "Park Woo-young has great sense and excellent jumping ability. He is a player with inherently good movement," adding, "The director saw those aspects well, and our opinions aligned quickly."

While trusting the skills of existing players, not giving up on competition and development among young players is Coach Park's vision. When he led the team as interim coach last season, he elevated the stagnant Woori Card to the spring volleyball stage through player utilization that did not distinguish between starters and backups. In a meeting with StarNews in June, Coach Park emphasized, "Belonging to our team means receiving opportunities. Training is the opportunity itself, and if you show good form in training, you will naturally be put into matches," adding, "Ultimately, the person who plays well gets to play. That is our team's biggest motto."

Two rookies with potential for both offense and defense have joined the abundant existing outside hitter lineup. Attention is focused on what changes Coach Park Cheol-woo's new competitive structure will bring to Woori Card's player utilization this season.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original