“I saw you yesterday too.”
The 2022-2023토스카지노 season championship game, in which Korea Expressway Corporation created a miracle of 0%, became a story a month ago. However, in the memory of many volleyball fans, it remains as vivid as the story of yesterday.
And at the center of the story was Bae Yuna. Bae Yoo-na, who had a meeting with <The Spike> on the 17th, said, “I feel like it’s only now that a month has passed. I still watch that video. I even saw it yesterday. A month has already passed and I am preparing for the next season, but I will never forget the 2022-2023 season,” she said, looking back at the miracle she had written.
Bae Yoo-na, who finished the season as a champion, had a busy day even in the off-season. She said, “She had been on vacation for over a month, but she was busy doing interviews all the time (laughs). She’s still going on a trip to Japan with her husband, and it’s nice that she’s going on a trip to the US with her team to commemorate the championship,” she said.
The most important thing for Bae Yu-na, who had her busy off-season, was, of course, free agent (FA). After the 2022-2023 season, many teams courted Bae Yoo-na, who became a free agent. It was natural. The player who ranked 1st in moving attack, 2nd in blocking, and 4th in time difference attack came out to the free agent market, but there was no way he would let it go.
However, Bae Yuna remained at Korea Expressway Corporation under the condition of receiving 550 million won (annual salary of 440 million, option of 110 million), the maximum treatment for middle blockers. Bae Yuna said, “I have more good memories than bad ones at Korea Expressway Corporation. And I got a lot of feeling that the club was trying to treat me, and I liked how they tried to match the amount as much as possible.”
One of the reasons Bae Yuna stayed at Korea Expressway Corporation was coach Kim Jong-min. “Actually, I thought about getting a lot of money and transferring. But when I thought about it again, she had a lot of injuries while at Korea Expressway Corporation, but coach Kim Jong-min was considerate of me and took good care of my body. So I thought that I could play volleyball for a long time with coach Kim Jong-min,” she said.
However, Park Jung-ah and Jung Dae-young, who led the team with Bae Yuna, moved to Pepper Savings Bank and GS Caltex, respectively. “Personally, it’s a pity that the two players left, but I think it’s great because they went with the best treatment. Now other young players have to fill their void. And it seems that my role has become more important.”
As Bae You-na said, other players now have to fill the gaps left by Park Jung-ah and Jeong Dae-young, who led Korea Expressway Corporation for a long time. Since the two players who held the center of the team had left, she would definitely face a difficult hurdle, but Bae Yoo-na was confident because she had already overcome the hurdle once and lifted the trophy. She concluded the interview by saying confidently, “There is a lot of talk that Korea Expressway Corporation’s power has weakened next season, but I will lead the team well with young players so that I can show a performance that is as good as last season.”