The All-Star Game, a professional volleyball festival of the stars, is just five days away. Compared to last year, the way the game is operated and the nationalities of the players are diversified are expected to enrich the All-Star Game.
The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) announced the slogan for the upcoming All-Star Game is “All-Star Universe.” First of all, the All-Star Game will be divided into two teams, K-Star and V-Star. Korean Air coach Tommy Tilikainen will take the helm for the men’s K-star and Woori Card coach Shin Young-chul will take the helm for the V-star. The women’s K-star will be led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction coach Kang Sung-hyung, and the V-star will be led by Heungkuk Life coach Marcello Avondanja.
The coaches of each team were selected based on the coaches of the first and second teams in the men’s and women’s divisions in this season’s third round. However, both Woori Card and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the All-Star team, were selected as V-Star, and K-Star was selected as the third-ranked Tilikainen coach of Korean Air.
The management method of the game has also changed significantly from last year’s All-Star Game. Unlike last year, when the first and second sets of 15 points per set consisted of the women’s team, the third and fourth sets consisted of the men’s team, and the second set consisted of a total of two sets of 21 points per set and the men’s team.
After the end of the first set, the Dodram Spike Subking & Queen Contest, a long-standing tradition and signature event of the V-League All-Star Game, will follow. Seven male and female players from each club will gather to compete for the best spy position.
In the men’s spike subking contest, Mattei (Uri Card), Lim Dong-hyuk (Korean Air), Bayarsaihan (OK Financial Group), Yosbani (Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance), Lim Sung-jin (Korea Electric Power Corporation), Heo Soo-bong (Hyundai Capital), and Hong Sang-hyuk (KB Insurance) will participate. In the women’s section, Jung Ji-yoon (Hyundai Construction), Jung Yoon-ju (Heungkuk Life Insurance), Silva (GS Caltex), Jeon Su-min (IBK Industrial Bank), Mega (Jeonggwanjang), Moon Jung-won (Road Corporation), and Yasmin (Pepper Savings Bank) will participate.
It remains to be seen whether Moon Sung-min (Hyundai Capital) will break the men’s record of 123 kilometers in the 2016-2017 season this year. In the women’s 100 kilometers, set by foreign player Karina (IBK Industrial Bank) in the 2013-2014 season, is the best record.
In addition, following last year’s All-Star Game, the Pocari Sweat Best Rivero Contest will be held again this year. Ryohei (Korea Electric Power Corporation), Park Kyung-min (Hyundai Capital), Im Myeong-ok (Korea Expressway Corporation), and Oh Ji-young (Pepper Savings Bank) will participate, and the player who stably receives the flying serve and puts a lot of balls into the basket will win.
What attracts attention in the All-Star Game is the nationalities of the players, who are far more diverse than before. A total of eight players, excluding Korea, including Ryohay (Japan), Bayarsaihan (Mongolia), Mattei (Slovenia), Leo, Yosbani and Silva (Cuba), Mega (Indonesia), Yasmin (U.S.), and Ponfun (Thailand), will join the event.
BY: 안전놀이터