Finding KB Insurance’s missing team colors

The biggest challenge for KB Insurance in the previous season was to erase Keita’s shadow. After a strong start with new import Nicolas Melagnac, the team faltered in the second round and lost eight straight games. Eventually, KB Insurance decided to part ways with Nicolas and brought in V-League veteran Andres Biyena. The team relied on Biyena’s high offensive share to open up the game, but it didn’t work out. The team still relied heavily on outsiders and failed to make a significant impact, finishing the season in sixth place.

We’re with Bijena again this season. She’s not the only offensive option they need to reach higher. It’s not just about utilizing one offensive option, it’s about having multiple offensive options. We’ve made some big changes to our starting lineup. Park Jin-woo left Woori Card as a compensation for the signing of Na Kyung-bok. Later trades brought Han Sung-jung to Woori and Hwang Seung-bin to KB Insurance. The MB, OH line, and setter were all changed. It’s time to build a new team color.

Introducing our foreign players
Bijena & Liu Hongmin, ‘KB’s Wings’

One of the shorter foreigners, Andres Biyena makes up for his height of 193 centimeters with his high jumping power. Last season in a KB Insurance uniform as a substitute outside hitter, he played in 20 games and 77 sets, ranking second overall in attacking percentage (54.72%) and eighth in scoring (555 points). Through three seasons, Bijena’s jumping ability and offensive prowess have been proven. This season, she will be expected to provide a lot of offense on the right wing for KB Insurance. However, unlike last season, the team will be starting from scratch and will need to rely on domestic players for support.
KB Insurance chose Taiwan’s Liu Hung-min as their first Asian Quarter Player. The outside hitter has played in the Taiwanese league, as well as in Thailand and Japan. Liu will fill the void left by Han Sung-jung. Liu’s role is crucial in a squad that is thin on outside hitters compared to other teams.

Key player Hwang Seung-bin
Entering his ninth season, Hwang Seung-bin is on his fourth team. Having switched from Samsung Fire to Woori Card ahead of the 2022-2023 season, Hwang is back in uniform after just one season. He came to KB Insurance from Woori Card in a one-for-one trade with Han Sung-jung at the end of the previous season.

His new role is a rather big one. Hwang Seung-bin inherited the position of Hwang Taek-ui, who was the starting setter for seven seasons. He will have to create new team colors while erasing the shadow of Hwang Taek-ui, who left the team for a while to serve in the military.

Luckily, she has plenty of support. Korean Air’s Bie-na and Baek Kwang-hyun, Samsung Fire’s Hwang Kyung-min, and Sangmu’s Kim Hae-min will be back on the team, along with players who have played together in various teams. However, due to the withdrawal from the AVC Cup, she did not have enough time to get to know her teammates. As the saying goes, “Volleyball is a setter’s game,” and the chemistry between the attacker and the setter has a huge impact on the game. They need to work on their chemistry and play their best 스포츠토토.