‘Standby’ volleyball player Kim Ha-kyung grows into an irreplaceable setter for IBK
[Women’s volleyball] On the 3rd, the road construction match led to a 3-1 victory, and Industrial Bank of Korea ranked 5th alone.
The Industrial Bank of Korea beat the Korea Expressway Corporation, which is busy on its way, and continued its hope for spring volleyball.
IBK Industrial Bank of Korea Altos, led by head coach Kim Ho-chul, won the set-score 3-1 (25-16, 19-25, 25-23, 28-26) in the sixth round of the Dodram 2022-2023 V-League Women’s High Pass at Hwaseong Indoor Gymnasium on the 3rd. Industrial Bank of Korea, which scored three points by putting Korea Expressway Corporation, which desperately needed a victory due to the third-place competition, in a four-game losing streak, beat GS Caltex KIXX (41 points) to move up to fifth place (14 wins and 18 losses).
The Industrial Bank of Korea led the attack with foreign player Dali Santana and native ace Pyo Seung-joo scoring 21 points side by side, while Apodit Spyker Yuk Seo-young scored 13 points and Middle Blocker Choi Jung-min scored 11 points. On the same day, the Industrial Bank of Korea shook the blocking of the Korea Expressway Corporation, with no player exceeding 30% of the attack share and all five strikers recording more than 10% of the market share. This was due to the even distribution of Kim Ha-kyung, the main setter of the Industrial Bank of Korea.
The Industrial Bank of Korea, where Kim Sani Setter finished his active career after the 2016-2017 season, recruited FA setter Yeom Hye-sun (KGC Ginseng Corporation), but Yeom Hye-sun failed to show her skills during Hyundai Engineering & Construction’s Hillstate due to severe ups and downs. In fact, Lee Na-yeon (Hyundai Engineering & Construction), who was recruited through a trade with Lee Go-eun (Pepper Savings Bank AI Peppers), not Yeom Hye-sun, has been the actual main setter for the Industrial Bank since the 2018-2019 season.
The Industrial Bank of Korea’s Lee Na-yeon setter played as a key player in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. However, the Industrial Bank of Korea, which advanced to six consecutive championships, including three championships, remained in the middle and lower ranks for two seasons when Lee Na-yeon setter played as a main player. Of course, the Industrial Bank of Korea’s sluggishness was caused by the resignation of coach Lee Jung-chul (SBS Sports commentator) and the controversy over the slowdown of foreign player Adora Anai (Promete), but the setter was also one of the bank’s weaknesses.
As the 2019-2020 season ended and Lee Da-young (Rapid Bucharest), who grew from Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders to the national team’s main setter, was recruited, the Industrial Bank of Korea also had a chance to reinforce the setter. With the addition of Lee Da-young, Cho Song-hwa, a setter who lost his place, was recruited for 270 million won a year. Cho Song-hwa setter has advantages and disadvantages as a setter, but he has been a main setter for Heungkuk Life Insurance for several years and played a leading role in the 2018-2019 season’s integrated championship.
The Industrial Bank of Korea returned to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons thanks to the performance of Anna Lazareva, a foreign player who ranked second (867 points) in the 2020-2021 season with Cho Song-hwa setter joining. Cho Song-hwa, who played as the main setter for the Industrial Bank of Korea, also finished second in the set category with 10.79 sets per set. Industrial Bank of Korea, which found stability in the setter due to Cho Song-hwa, entrusted Cho Song-hwa as the team’s captain with the new head coach Seo Nam-won.
However, as a result, Cho Song-hwa’s appointment as the captain became a big handshake for the Industrial Bank of Korea. Setter Cho Song-hwa had a subtle feud with director Seo Nam-won and left the accommodation without permission after the Ginseng Corporation match on November 12, 2021. Setter Cho Song-hwa’s unauthorized departure led to coach Kim San-yi’s departure together and the replacement of coach Seo Nam-won and general manager Yoon Jae-seop. And the Industrial Bank of Korea, which suddenly lost its main setter, had no choice but to put in backup setter Kim Ha-kyung, who had little experience in playing as a main setter.
Setter Kim Ha-kyung, a volleyball player who became a founding member of Wongok High School while transferring from Ilshin Women’s Award, began her professional career in 2014 when she was named to the Industrial Bank of Korea as the second-ranked player in the second round of the rookie draft. However, at that time, the main player Kim Sani Setter and backup Lee So-jin Setter were in good shape, and Lee Go-eun Setter, who wore the Industrial Bank of Korea uniform through trade after Lee So-jin’s retirement, became a backup. In the end, Kim Ha-kyung setter played only 41 sets in 30 games in the regular league in three seasons after joining the professional league.
Setter Kim Ha-kyung, a volleyball player who failed to sign with the Industrial Bank of Korea after the 2016-2017 season, joined the business team Daegu City Hall for two years before returning to the Industrial Bank of Korea, where the setter weakened due to Yeom Hye-sun’s transfer in 2019. Setter Kim Ha-kyung was blocked by Lee Na-yeon setter in the 2019-2020 season and Cho Song-hwa setter in the 2020-2021 season, so she failed to play many games even after returning, but suddenly took the main setter position after Cho Song-hwa setter left in November 2021.
Volleyball player Kim Ha-kyung setter struggled to adapt to the court when he began to play as a main player, but his skills grew rapidly as he received intensive guidance from Kim Ho-chul, a former manager of the specification center, after taking office. Kim Ha-kyung, a setter who finished a season safely as a main setter, was also included in the national team list for the World Championships after the season. And Kim Ha-kyung, a “atmospheric chronic” setter who has steadily grown every season, is playing as a built-in main setter for the Industrial Bank of Korea this season.
Of course, the Industrial Bank of Korea has rarely risen to the top due to the injury of ace Kim Hee-jin this season, and it cannot be said that the main setter Kim Ha-kyung is not responsible at all. However, the Industrial Bank of Korea has been on a steep rise with six wins and three losses in the last nine games, beating the fourth-ranked Korea Expressway Corporation by five points. And at the center was Kim Ha-kyung setter’s performance, who did not rely on a specific player and used strikers on the court evenly.
Setter Kim Ha-kyung, who was Cho Song-hwa’s backup setter in the 2021-2022 season, paid only 63 million won including options. However, setter Kim Ha-kyung, who became the undisputed main setter of the Industrial Bank of Korea’s undisputed main setter. And regardless of whether the Industrial Bank of Korea will advance to spring volleyball, volleyball player Kim Ha-kyung’s ransom is likely to rise further next season. At this point, Kim Ha-kyung is a solid main setter with no substitute at the Industrial Bank of Korea.