KEPCO’s ‘handsome striker’ Lim Seong-jin (24) has emerged as a hot variable in men’s professional volleyball spring volleyball.
KEPCO, the 4th place team in the regular season, will play against Hyundai Capital, the 2nd place in the regular season, in the professional volleyball Dodram 2022-23 V-League Postseason Playoff (PO) starting on the 24th.
Previously, KEPCO defeated Woori Card, the 3rd place team in the regular season, with a set score of 3-1 (25-19 25-18 18-25 25-22) in a semi-PO single-game match held at Jangchung Gymnasium on the 22nd (25-19 25-18 18-25 25-22) A seeded team beat a top seeded team).
Officials who watched the game unanimously said, “The KEPCO has changed.” At the center of such evaluation, Lim Seong-jin’s growth takes a large part. Lim Seong-jin, an outside hitter in his third year as a professional, drew more attention at the time of his debut with his idol-like appearance than his volleyball skills. When he was a student at Sungkyunkwan University, he was so popular that he was called ‘Kim Soo-hyun of the court’.
However, he did not live up to expectations as a pro. His offense was erratic and he lacked confidence. Receiving, which was recognized as an advantage during college, also could not withstand the strong serve of the V-League striker. He was pushed out of the starting lineup and spent a lot of time guarding the bench.
Im Seong-jin, who was like that, has grown up. He fluttered on our card and the PO we gave him. Lim Seong-jin, who had mainly focused on receiving until the 3rd set, saved KEPCO from a crisis with a bold attack in the 4th set. On this day, he scored a total of 11 points, and among them, he scored 6 points only in the 4th set, which was the biggest match.
The evaluation that he was usually timid was nowhere to be found. Even in a double toss situation that was difficult to hit easily, he bombarded the opponent’s court. With Lim Seong-jin’s performance, the KEPCO bench became festive as if they had already won the championship.
After the game, praises poured in for Lim Seong-jin. KEPCO coach Kwon Young-min said, “I think (Lim) Seong-jin will grow a lot with today’s game,” and expected, “I will find confidence through this difficult game and do well even in the playoffs.”
Team senior Seo Jae-deok also said, “The director said Seong-jin was timid, but I don’t see that this year. In the end, it was to the extent that I leaned on him.”
KEPCO, whose morale is skyrocketing due to Im Seong-jin’s performance, is expected to face Hyundai Capital with greater confidence. KEPCO leads the regular season with 4 wins and 2 losses. Up until the 3rd round, they were behind with 1 win and 2 losses, but from the 4th round, they won 3 consecutive wins.
To make matters worse,바카라 Hyundai Capital’s main striker Jeon Kwang-in cannot participate. Unfortunately, Jeon Kwang-in stepped on his best friend Seo Jae-deok’s foot in the process of landing during the 6th round match against KEPCO and injured his right ankle ligament. Hyundai Capital’s power is not 100%. This is why many experts predict that KEPCO, a lower team in terms of power and momentum, is ahead.
PO is also expected to focus on Lim Seong-jin’s shoulders. Lim Seong-jin said, “I hit with an ‘all or nothing’ feeling, but I think I was lucky.” He then said, “I thought I would grow one step by playing in such a big game,” and promised, “I will play hard with a desperate heart in the PO.”