OK Financial Group’s middle blocker Park Chang-seong is starting to make his presence felt on the court in men’s professional volleyball.
Park came off the bench at 17-10 in the first set of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Round 4 against Korea Electric Power at Suwon Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon and stayed on the court until the end. He scored three points on offense, his highest point total this season. Of course, she had three turnovers, but she did her job.
Along with Leonardo Leyva (real name Leo), who scored 39 points, Song Hee-chae and Shin Shin-jin scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, to help OK Financial Group pull off the 3-1 upset. At the same time, they leapfrogged KEPCO 스포츠토토사이트 from sixth to fourth place.
After the match, head coach Ogino Masa said, “Our blocking and digging system was good today, especially our blocking. We were able to attack in transition, which is what we want to do in volleyball.”
On the day, OK Financial Group had a 9-6 advantage in team blocking. Song Hee-chae, Park Won-bin, and Kwak Myung-woo made three blocks each to lift the team’s mood. The team also recorded 19 effective blocks, seven more than their opponents. Coach Ogino, who emphasized the blocking and digging system before the season, expressed his satisfaction.
He also trusted middle blocker Park Chang-sung, who joined the team in November 2023 after leaving the Armed Forces Athletic Corps (Commerce). Although he has been substituted as a ‘one point’ this season, he played the longest amount of minutes against Korea.
Coach Ogino said of Park, “He is a player with a good fastball. When we practiced blocking, we had good results. Of course, I was thinking about using Bayarsaihan, but I could see that he was confused on the court, so I gave Park a good chance.” Ogino commented.
“He played apogee until his junior year in college. I think it was a big point for him to have two digs today. I gave her a chance after watching her practice, and she responded well. I think I can give her a good grade.”
Park had two digs in the crucial third set to keep his team alive. At 21-17 in the third set, both teams were focused. A long rally ensued. With KEPCO‘s Tice attacking, Park Chang-sung got a dig and Song Hee-chae followed up with a kill to make it 22-17. The opposing Tais tried to attack again, but after an effective block by Shin Shin-jin and a dig by Park Chang-sung, the Tais were able to make it 22-17 with a Shin Shin-jin finish.
Park said, “I was surprised. I thought, ‘I can dig. In practice, Coach Abo told me that middle blockers should also defend, so I did what he told me. I think it paid off,” she said. “First of all, it’s good for the team to win. I came in as a substitute when we were fighting for position and it feels good to be able to contribute to the team’s victory,” he said with a victorious smile.
Leo, who was watching from the sidelines, also gave Park a thumbs up.
Born in 1998, Park was selected by OK Financial Group with the third pick in the first round of the 2020 Rookie Draft. After completing his military service, he returned to the V-League. The competition among OK Financial Group‘s middle blockers is also expected to intensify.
“We’ll see how the players practice and utilize Park Won-bin, Jin Sang-heon, Bayarsaihan, and Park Chang-sung,” Ogino said.
“I joined the team during the season, and the manager and coaching staff changed. I needed time to adapt to the workout system, but they were very supportive and taught me well, so I was able to adapt quickly. Now I’m done adjusting. Now I have to work hard to fit in with the team,” he said, adding that the coaches are very detailed in their instructions, such as tactics and promised plays for blocking.
“I always think I’m not good enough. I will practice a lot, play a lot of games, and try to win the goodwill competition,” he concluded.