Setter Hwang Seung-bin “will prove my worth” as ‘KB’s No. 3 player’

Setter Hwang Seung-bin is now KB Insurance’s No. 3 player.

KB Insurance and Woori Card conducted a trade on the 25th. KB Insurance released outside hitter Han Sung-jung and acquired setter Hwang Seung-bin. For Hwang, it’s the first time he’s changed uniforms in a season.스포츠토토

Born in 1992, Hwang was selected by Korean Air with the fifth pick of the first round in the 2014 rookie draft. However, he struggled to establish himself as the starting setter. There was veteran Han, and in 2019, another veteran, Yoo Kwang-woo, moved to Korean Air. Despite this, Hwang Seung-bin was immediately labelled as a powerhouse setter.

Eventually, Hwang Seung-bin was traded to Samsung Fire in 2021. Given the opportunity, he played 33 matches and 126 sets in the 2021-22 season, the most since his professional debut. Just a year later, he was traded again and donned a Woori Card jersey. In 2022-23, he was named captain and played 36 matches and 140 sets. He finished second in the league in sets (10.3 per set).

Hwang Seung-bin’s fourth team in the V-League is KB Insurance. Hwang Seung-bin joined KB Insurance on the 26th and started training. In a call with The Spike on the 29th, he expressed his determination, saying, “I will prove my worth.”

This is his third move. Hwang Seung-bin wasn’t happy about it either. He said, “I’m changing teams again in one season. I honestly thought, ‘Is this really a good thing? However, as coach Shin Young-cheol told me, I thought it was right to go to an environment where I could play volleyball better.”

“Up until now, while playing volleyball, I used to try small and big things on myself during training. For example, I would try to find a style that suits me well by making changes that only I can understand, such as a slightly different hand shape or a different footstep. At the same time, I would get the feel for it. I’m trying to find the tosses that I was confident with,” he concluded.

Transferring is always new. You have to adapt to new teammates, plays, and team atmosphere. “It’s always awkward the first time,” said Hwang Seung-bin. However, since I’ve done it twice, I don’t think it will be too difficult. In fact, when I moved to Samsung Fire, I needed quite a bit of time to adjust, but with Woori Card, that time was shortened,” he said, adding, “(Jung) Min-soo and I talked often, (Han) Gook-i was after the army, (Baek) Kwang-hyun and I have been together for a long time at Korean Air, Samsung Fire, and Sangsung, and (Hwang) Kyung-min was also at Samsung Fire.” He also introduced KB Insurance’s strong support team.

KB Insurance was also relieved. The team was without its star setter, Hwang Taek-ui, who joined the Korean Armed Forces this year. The team has Shin Seung-hoon, born in 2000, and Park Hyun-bin, born in 2004, but neither has played a full season as a starting setter. They have potential, but the risks were obvious. The arrival of Hwang Seung-bin in a KB Insurance jersey balanced out the setters.

After joining the team, Hwang spoke with head coach Hoo In-jung. “He told me to have fun. He told me that the setter is the one who runs the game, so I should have fun and play volleyball.”

KB Insurance re-signed foreign player Bijena this year. “When I was at Korean Air, I stayed with Bijena for a couple of months after I left the company,” said Hwang Seung-bin, referring to Bijena and Hwang Kyung-min, who played the main role in the previous season. “At that time, Bijena was injured, so we couldn’t play together, but I’m personally looking forward to it. She is not a player who covers the setter’s ball. I think I’ll be able to play more comfortably. I’ve also played with Kyung-min at Samsung Fire. I think we’ll be able to match up well.”

KB Insurance was led by Hwang Taek-ui for seven consecutive seasons. Hwang Seung-bin is also familiar with Hwang’s style: “He has a pretty fast toss. The team colours are also focused on speed. I’ll have to adapt to that. I don’t think it will be too difficult,” he said confidently.

Hwang Seung-bin will continue to wear the number three shirt. He was assigned the number 2 until university. Korean Air’s No. 2 was Han, so Hwang Seung-bin has worn No. 3 since his professional debut. However, KB Insurance’s number 3 belonged to Shin Seung-hoon. “For me, number 3 is a symbolic and special number,” says Hwang Seung-bin. Luckily, Seung-hoon said he would make a concession. He said it was insensitive and he was sorry, but he was grateful. I think I should give him a small gift,” he said with a wry smile.

“Firstly, I want to integrate well into the team, I want to play fun and interesting volleyball, and I want to prove my worth,” said Hwang Seung-bin. Hwang Seung-bin’s new challenge has begun.