Who Can Impede Samsung Fire’s Eight Consecutive Titles?

Volleyball is regaining its popularity as the V Tour 2004 raises the curtain.

In a bid to create a professional volleyball league, the V Tour is trying innovative changes such as introducing an independent league tour system on the basis of a home & away game, and selecting each tour winner to raise the interests of fans. Prior to the beginning of the tournament, the league created an official poster showing the exposed chests of male players and also instituted individual awards such as each tour’s MVP, popularity title, and scoring title in an effort to recapture the sport’s popularity.

Tournament type--19 teams will participate: six men’s business teams, five women’s business teams, and eight men’s university teams. This tournament, which circulates around Seoul and five linked cities, consists of six tours and starts December 20 and concludes March 14 next year. The men’s business team section and the men’s university team section are two separate full leagues and the women’s business team section is a lone full league.

The first all-star match will be held February 15 next year in Seoul after holding a pre-match event on the day before.

Achievement or checking of Samsung Fire’s eight straight title victories and Hyundai Construction’s five straight titles-- Samsung Fire has been invincible in the men’s business team league since 1995. Hyundai Construction has also never met an equivalent rival since 2000.

However, things have changed this year. Traditional rival Hyundai Capital announced they were surging back again with renewed force by appointing Kim Ho-chul as the new head coach who had played at the Italian stage shouting “rebuilding the image of favorites,” while Samsung Fire has not been the same due to Kim Se-jin and Shin Jin-sik’s aging and injuries. Shin Chi-young, head coach of Samsung Fire, and Kim Ho-chul are close friends who both played as setters during their active days. Their tactical confrontation attracts interest. Whether or not LG Insurance, which recently acquired Lee Kyung-soo, can beat Samsung Fire is also a decisive factor to watch.

The women’s section is projected to be fiercely competitive as all teams are perceived to be nearly equal in ability. KT&G, led by Choi Kwang-hee, and Korea Highway Corporation’s progress have been remarkable.

Remarkable Rookies--2-meter-tall Park Chul-woo of Hyundai Capital is an outstanding attacker who joined the business team’s stage after graduating high school and is referred to as “the next Kim Se-jin.” Lee Sun-kyu, who joined Hyundai Capital after finishing his junior year at Hanyang University, is 202 cm tall, taller than an ordinary center. Also, he is a great setter and superb at quick shots and blocking.

Sohn Jang-hoon (LG Insurance, 183cm) who has made Hanyang Univ. into a powerhouse is in a special class of setter comparable to the national team’s setter, Choi Tae-wook (Samsung Fire). Three of them are expected to wage an all-out-war to clinch the best rookie title.

Sang-Ho Kim hyangsan@donga.com