The 'native ace' who failed to stop last place, the last season before joining the army is different

The 2023-2024 season felt particularly difficult for KB Insurance's outside heater Hwang Kyung-min 28, 194cm. With the team at the bottom, I personally suffered from an injury.

Hwang Kyung-min, who met at KB Insurance Talentium in Suwon on the 10th, recalled, "At the beginning of the season, I had high expectations because I was so healthy, but I got hurt so much and felt sick as time went by. I was frustrated because the team's performance was so bad."

Last season, KB Insurance ranked at the bottom with only five wins, 31 losses, and 21 points. It failed to advance to the spring volleyball tournament for the second consecutive year following the 2022-2023 season, when it finished sixth.

It was Hwang's first season as a free agent after the 2022-2023 season, and he stayed with KB Insurance. He didn't have any pressure on the FA, but he had a hard time due to his injury. "I started the season well without any pressure, but it was so hard to get hurt," Hwang said. "I didn't have enough time to build up my body because I had to keep playing. Since then, I felt heavy in my mind."

He was hampered by an unexpected injury he suffered at a match against Woori Card on Nov. 16 last year. He injured his rib when he collided with his teammate Hong Sang-hyuk. It took a month for him to return to the team.

"I've always said before the season that I don't want to get hurt, but I think I'm the first volleyball player to get hurt," Hwang said. "I was really unlucky. It happened because I bumped into Hong Sang-hyuk."

In the match against Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance on Dec. 19, his return match, he scored 12 points and displayed stellar performance with a 70.59 percent attack success rate, raising expectations. However, Hwang Kyung-min, who said he had difficulty managing his condition afterwards, said, "I think I was lucky in that one match. In fact, I couldn't jump well because I was not feeling well. I think I had a hard time because I couldn't keep coming up and other places were sick."

The atmosphere was unsettled, with coach Hu In-jeong expressing his resignation in February, citing his poor performance, as he suffered the disgrace of the club's record of 12 consecutive losses during the season. Hwang Kyung-min said, "I think I lost a lot of confidence because I kept losing, and I was nervous," and recalled, "I think it became a vicious cycle because I kept repeating it."

After the voluntary resignation of coach Hu In-jeong, he sought to rebound under the acting head coach Kim Hak-min, but soon confirmed the bottom in the fifth round. Hwang Kyung-min said, "I thought I could go all the way to spring volleyball if I do more, but from the fifth round, the players emptied their minds," adding, "I think I tried to make it fun with the idea of getting the beauty of the end."

In particular, as many as 10 of the league's 36 games continued to the fifth set, and it was painful to have only two wins among them. Hwang Kyung-min bowed his head, saying, "The domestic players couldn't help Villena a lot," and "I felt sorry to see Villena always struggling alone."

Ironically, however, he also showed off his dark horse side by winning two of his five wins in a row against Korean Air, which won four consecutive championships. "I think Villena was on fire. My eyes change whenever I see Korean Air," Hwang said with a smile.

As such, he has strong trust in foreign player Villena. In an interview with Miguel Rivera, who took the helm, he was the first to ask whether he would renew his contract with Villena.

KB Insurance has already decided to renew contract with Villena while the draft for foreign players has ended. Among the seven teams in the men's league, Villena is the only team that accompanies an existing foreign player. Villena will also play in the V-League in KB Insurance's uniform next season.

Hwang Kyung-min said of Villena, "I have a great sense of work, and I always take good care of my body. I have a lot of trust among the players," and gave a thumbs-up, saying, "I am very smart and an exemplary volleyball player." He added, "I told the coach that I could appoint Villena as captain."

In the next season, Na Kyung-bok and Hwang Taek-ui will join after completing their military service, with Villena remaining. Although it will need to adjust early in the season, KB Insurance's strength is expected to be even stronger.

Hwang is worried as it is his last season ahead of his enlistment. "I am worried because I have never rested that long while playing volleyball," he confessed. However, he said, "I met Hwang Taekui who is serving in the military, and he lost a lot of weight and became mature. B Gyeongbok says he always works out." He also showed confidence in himself.

Hwang is determined to return to the national team. He participated in the 2023 Asian Volleyball Federation AVC Challenge Cup, but failed to make the list at the Asian Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games.

He was excluded from the list of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup, but was recently recommended as a substitute for Jung Ji-seok Korean Air and Huh Soo-bong Hyundai Capital due to poor physical conditions. However, Hwang failed to accept the invitation due to his wedding ceremony scheduled on May 1.

Nevertheless, he still plays with the dream of becoming a national flag. "I kept going to the national team as a substitute, but I was lucky enough to play in many matches," Hwang said. "I will do my best to play in the national team without getting hurt."

Finally, he left behind his ambition to lead his team's rebound in the next season. "I hope that the season ends well without injury, and I will play with the goal of spring volleyball for now," Hwang said. "I aim to advance to spring volleyball with a realistic goal, rather than winning, and I think that if I do well after that, good results will come."  스포츠토토