Altos opposite hitter Kim Hee-jin out for the season after surgery

Kim Hee-jin of the Hwaseong IBK Altos, right, attacks during a V League game against the Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders at Hwaseong Gymnasium in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi on Jan. 8. [YONHAP]

Hwaseong IBK Altos opposite hitter Kim Hee-jin will be out for the rest of the V League season due to a knee injury.

The 32-year-old Korean volleyball ace will undergo rehabilitation for roughly a year, missing not only the remaining five league games, but also the 2022 Asian Games in September.

The extended absence comes after Kim underwent surgery on her right knee on Monday.

Kim initially underwent surgery on her left knee in May 2021 ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Despite undergoing that surgery, she has not regained her old form as the pain on her knee continually hindered her performance.

Kim only started 18 of 28 games this season and has scored 251 points, which is significantly lower than the stats of her prime years — she managed 425 points in the 2017-18 season and scored 440 the following season.

The Altos’ opposite hitter failed to display her best performance at the beginning of the season as she failed to score many points.

Kim has scored over 20 points in just one game this season, when she managed 21 against the GS Seoul Caltex KIXX in November last year. In the most recent clash with the KIXX on Feb. 16, she only recorded two points.

While the opposite hitter’s impact for the Altos may not be as visible as it once was, her absence will be clear in the Korean women’s national volleyball team, since she is one of the key players from the 2020 Olympics’ semifinalist squad that did not retire after the tournament ended.

Kim’s injury report also comes at a time when she is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. Whether she will get the contract she wants next season remains unclear with the injury.

Without Kim in the squad, the Altos are facing Gimcheon Korean Expressway Hi-Pass at Hwaseong Gymnasium in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi on Friday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]