The KEPCO men’s professional volleyball team has been struggling with its defense heading into the 2023-2024 season.
Last season, foreign player Taith Lesser Host (real name Taith) showed off his offensive prowess, but he had problems with his reception.
KEPCO added Japanese libero Ryohei Iga to its Asian quota, but the defense was still a question mark.
In addition to Ryohei, KEPCO needed a native outside hitter to take on the opposition’s strong serves.
KEPCO’s problem is solved by next-generation ace Im Seong-jin, 24.
Im has been playing alongside Ryohei at outside hitter this season and anchoring KEPCO’s defensive line.
His defense is as good as his libero.
In 13 matches this season before the home match against KB Insurance at Suwon Gymnasium on Feb. 2, he had 4.96 digs per set. That ranks fourth in the league.
Lim is the only player in the top five who is not a libero.
Against KB Sonbojae, Lim showed off her defensive prowess.
She attempted 14 digs on the day and made 13 of them. This was the most digs on the team.
With Lim’s active defense, attacker Tice was able to focus on her offense, and the team swept KB Sonbo 3-0 to extend their winning streak to six games.
Lim was also active on offense, scoring 14 points, the second-most on the team. He also had four blocked shots. It was a literal all-around performance.
His joy was doubled when he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the round for the first time in his career.
“There are a lot of attackers who are only good at offense,” Lim said after the game, “but I’m greedy for defense as well as offense.”
“For the sake of the team, I thought I had to provide great help in defense,” she said, adding, “I’ve been training a lot lately to receive serves.”
“Now, the coach and my teammates give me a lot of responsibility in defense,” he said, adding, “I want to play well according to the situation and contribute to the team’s victory.” 먹튀검증