KEPCO’s middle blocker Shin Young-seok (37) is a ‘living legend’ in men’s professional volleyball. He recently won the title in the blocking category for the fifth consecutive season, and his career blocking (1127) is also ranked first all-time. He is also the best star player in the league, ranking first in the All-Star Game fan vote for three consecutive years (2020-2022).
Shin Young-seok, who has been through a lot during his 15 years as a pro, is also having a hard time this season. First of all, he experienced the most consecutive losses by an individual. His team, Korea Electric Power, suffered 9 consecutive losses before Woori Card on December 3 last year and before Samsung Fire on January 5 this year. It was the first difficult time for Shin Young-seok, who spent a long time in the strong team Hyundai Capital and spent his heyday.
KEPCO, which fell to the bottom, is the hottest team in the league as of February. On the 10th of last month, he broke his losing streak in the Woori Card match, and then rebounded with 6 wins in 8 games. They also captured Korean Air in league first place and Hyundai Capital in second place. KEPCO rose to 4th place (41 points) as of the 13th. There is no difference in victory points with Woori Card in 3rd place.
Shin Young-seok looked back, saying, “I couldn’t do anything while losing 9 in a row. From a certain point on, I felt like nothing happened even if I lost, so I was even more scared. I even thought that if I lost (fighting spirit), I could lose 10 or 20 in a row.” .
The secret to the recent rebound is not special. Shin Young-seok said, “(January 10) in the Woori Card match, we barely won after a full set match. same,” he said.
Shin Young-seok is playing the role of a de facto leader because Park Chul-woo, who is a senior by one year, has less playing time than before. When his team performance is shaken, he first catches everything from his own mentality. It was the same with the Woori Card Match on the 12th, the most recent game. KEPCO won the match even after giving up the 1st and 2nd sets. Shin Young-seok said, “I had to prevent a losing streak in a situation where I lost the KB Insurance match (which was the previous game). Since the captain (Park Cheol-woo) was not on the court, I felt a sense of responsibility to lead my juniors. “he said.
There are things I learned while spending the season like a roller coaster. I learned how to manage my mentality and lead my juniors as a senior in a situation where I was falling like I couldn’t see the bottom. Shin Young-seok said, “Originally, a good team can do anything. I think I learned a lot about what role I should play as a senior player through various situations this season.” 슬롯사이트
KEPCO failed to advance to the semi-playoffs (PO) due to lack of 1 point in the 2020-21 regular league. Shin Young-seok also left a painful memory in his first season when he transferred to KEPCO.
So he doesn’t want to repeat the same experience. He said, “I have vivid memories of not being able to play volleyball in the spring because I lacked one point. That’s why every game is so important. To be honest, I can’t sleep well. The players on the court are bleeding. Still, I think a fierce match can give pleasure to the fans.” I do,” he laughed. He, who is breaking a new blocking record in every game, said, “I really can’t afford to think about personal records. Even if I can’t catch a block, I’m satisfied if I can get hit (in my hand) and regain the right to attack.”