‘Basketball powerhouse’ Espejo from the Philippines said, “Volleyball was so much fun.”
Men’s professional volleyball player Espejo Mark (registered name Espejo, Philippines) is trying to overcome two walls in the V-League.
One is to prove competitiveness as a player in the Asian quota, which was introduced for the first time this season, and the other is to slightly change the image of the Philippines as a marginal country in men’s volleyball.
When he was selected by Korean Air as the third pick in the draft last April, he said, “I want to be a tool for the development of Philippine men’s volleyball.” He expressed his unique ambition, saying, “I will show that there are people in the Philippines who are good at volleyball.”
But the opportunity did not come easily.
When the 2023–2024 season opened and Korean Air played 14 games, he played in only 8 games and made only one starting appearance.
Meanwhile, as starting outside hitter Jeong Ji-seok was unable to recover from the aftermath of an injury and Jeong Han-yong was underperforming, a valuable opportunity was seized.
Espejo scored 19 points (55.56% attack success rate), including 4 sub-aces, in the KEPCO match where he started for the second time on the 13th, leading the team to escape their 3rd consecutive loss.
He broke personal records in all major indicators such as scoring, serving, and attack success rate, as well as attack share (29.03%), blocking (2), and receiving (10).
In particular, Espejo, who won the second set 23–22 with a serve ace, scored two serve points in the third set to take a 10–1 lead.
Espejo, whom we met after the game, said he felt pressure as the first Asian quarter player, but said, “I think it is an opportunity and a privilege at the same time.” “I will try to win by smiling and enjoying the game as much as possible,” he confidently said.
He said, “I didn’t do well in my first selection. He said, “I will do my best if I get another chance,” and last night, he said, “I will win today’s game.” “He will feel confident,” he ordered himself.
He continued with satisfaction, saying, “I was wondering why it worked well during training but not in practice, but I got the opportunity today and it turned out well.”
He also introduced how he started playing volleyball in the Philippines, where basketball is popular.
Espejo said, “I played basketball until high school, but I injured my arm while dunking, so I quit.” “He was so funny,” he said with a laugh. 카지노사이트
