Park Jung-ah (Pepper Savings Bank) spikes for Korea Expressway Corporation after six years and five months.
The 2023 Gumi Dodram Cup professional volleyball tournament, the 온라인바카라 “pre-season” of Korean professional volleyball, kicks off on Monday.
The women’s team will be the first to compete in the cup, with the opening match between Korea Expressway Corporation and Pepper Savings Bank at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 at Park Jung-hee Gymnasium in Gumi.
Park made her V-League debut in the 2011-2012 season with IBK, and has played for Korea Expressway Corporation since the 2017-2018 season.
In the final game of the V-League for the 2022-2023 season, on April 6, she celebrated with her teammates in the Women’s Championship Game 5 against Heungkuk Life.
However, Park became a free agent (FA) after the 2022-2023 season, signing a three-year contract with Pepper Savings Bank for an annual total compensation of 775 million won ($475 million in salary, $300 million in options).
The total annual compensation of 775 million won is the highest amount a female volleyball player can receive.
Park will make her ‘transfer notification ceremony’ on the 29th through the opening match of the Gumi Dodram Cup.
Her first opponent will be Roadworks, with whom she played for six seasons and won two championships.
It will be six years and five months since Park played against DOT on March 1, 2017, when she was with IBK.
Pepper Savings Bank’s new foreign head coach Joe Trinzi will also make his Korean professional volleyball debut on the 29th.
Heat in the final match of the women’s professional volleyball championship
(Incheon = Yonhap) Yoon Tae-hyun reports on the fifth game of the women’s professional volleyball championship between the Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders and the Korea Expressway Corporation High Pass Volleyball Team at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on Saturday. The stadium is full of spectators. 2023.4.6 tomatoyoon@yna.co.kr
The tournament is open to 14 men’s and women’s teams from the V-League and one men’s and one women’s team from overseas leagues.
The women’s competition will begin first and run through August 5, while the men’s competition will begin on August 6 and conclude on the 13th.
The Panasonic Panthers, who finished third in Japan’s V-League last season, and Thai league powerhouse Supreme Chonburi, who finished third in the men’s competition, have joined the Gumi Cup.
The winner will take home 50 million won, while the runner-up will receive 30 million won.
In the women’s competition, the teams in Group A and Group B were selected by lottery.
Group A included Korea Expressway Corporation, Pepper Savings Bank, Hyundai E&C, and KGC Ginseng Corporation. Group B included Heungkuk Life, IBK, GS Caltex, and Supreme Chonburi.
Kim Yeon-kyung, who signed a contract to stay with Heungkuk Life, is expected to miss the tournament. Kim Soo-ji (Heungkuk Life), who underwent knee surgery, will also focus on rehabilitation.
Foreign players, including those selected for the Asian quota, are not expected to participate in the tournament due to issues with their International Transfer Consent (ICT).
Instead, fans will have the pleasure of seeing the potential of the ‘youngsters’ in the Cup.
The men’s team is divided into Group A, Korean Air, Woori Card, KB Insurance, and OK Financial Group, and Group B, KEPCO, Samsung Fire, Hyundai Capital, and Panasonic Panthers, based on their performance in last year’s Cup.
New OK Financial Group head coach Masashi Ogino will make his official debut on August 6 against KB Insurance.
Song Hee-chae (OK Financial Group) and Song Myung-geun (Woori Card), who switched uniforms, will face off on August 10.
From this tournament, the Korean Professional Volleyball League will use the FIVB-approved ball ‘MIKASA’ as its official ball.