Pepper makes good use of first pick in V League draft

Park Sa-rang [YONHAP]

The V League rookie draft was held on Tuesday in Cheongdam, southern Seoul, one month ahead of schedule to allow new team Pepper Savings Bank time to prepare an entirely new squad for the 2021-22 season.

Nineteen of the 43 players from 15 schools that took part in the draft were picked. As the newest club, Pepper Savings Bank had first pick, unsurprisingly choosing top prospect Park Sa-rang from Daegu Girls' High School. The club also snapped up Park Eun-seo from Ilshin Girls' Commercial High School and Seo Chae-won, also from Daegu Girls' High School.

Park Sa-rang and Park Eun-seo were expected to be the top picks as they are experienced rookies, both having represented Korea at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Girl's U-18 World Championship, when Korea finished 13th out of 20 countries.

"Thank you for having faith in me," Park Sa-rang said after she was drafted as the first player of the new club. "I am grateful to the Pepper Savings Bank head coach and other staff members. I also want to thank my parents for raising me all these years."

Libero Moon Seul-ki, who has spent the last 10 years playing for corporate team Suwon City in the Korea Corporates Volleyball Federation, also entered the draft and was picked by Pepper Savings bank.

"Even though I am joining a professional team late in my career, I intend to work extra hard" said Moon.

Like Moon, Lee Yun-jung also entered the draft after playing six years at Suwon City. Lee was picked by Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-pass.

"I kept playing in the corporate team because I have a passion for volleyball," Lee said. "Because I am older than most players, I want to do my job right and be of help to the team."

Elsewhere in the draft: Pepper Saving Bank signed Kim Se-in, Park Yeon-hwa and Lee Eun-ji; Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-pass signed Lee Ye-dam; Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate signed Lee Hyun-ji and Kim Ga-yeong; GS Caltex Seoul Kixx signed Kim Joo-hee and Cha Yu-jeong; Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders signed Jeong Yun-ju, Park Su-yeon and Jeon Hyun-keoung; Korea Ginseng Corporation Pro Volleyball Club signed Lee Ji-soo; and Industrial Bank of Korea Altos signed Yang You-kyung and Koo Hye-in.

The men's and women's 2021- 2022 V league will kick off in October.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]