Men’s professional volleyball player Espejo Mark (registered name Espejo-Philippines) is looking to break two barriers in the V-League.

One is to prove his competitiveness as an Asian quota player, which was introduced for the first time this season, and the other is to change the image of the Philippines as a backwater in men’s volleyball.

“I want to be a tool for the development of men’s volleyball in the Philippines,” he said when he was selected by Korean Air with the third overall pick in last April’s draft, “and I want to show that there are people in the Philippines who are good at it.

But the opportunity didn’t come easily.

When the 2023-2024 season opened and Korean Air played 14 matches, he only played in eight and started once.

Then, with main outside hitter Jeong Ji-seok still recovering from injury and Jeong Jung-yong struggling, he was given a valuable opportunity.

In his second start of the season on Sept. 13, Espejo scored 19 points (55.56 percent attack success rate), including four service aces, to help the team snap a three-game losing streak.

She set new personal records for kills, digs, and attack percentage, as well as attack percentage (29.03%), blocks (2), and digs (10).

Espejo, who clinched the match with a service ace at 23-22 in the second set, followed it up with two more service points in the third set to open up a 10-1 lead.

Speaking after the match, Espejo acknowledged the pressure of being the first Asian quarterfinalist, saying, “I think it’s an opportunity and a privilege at the same time. I’m going to try to smile and enjoy the game as much as possible and get through it,” he said confidently.

“I didn’t play well in my first start. I told myself that if I get another chance, I’ll do my best.” “Last night, I told myself, ‘I’m going to win today’s match. I’ll be confident,'” he said.

“I was thinking why it was working in training but not in practice, but I’m glad I got my chance today and it worked out,” he said.

She also talked about how she started playing volleyball in the Philippines, where basketball is popular.

“I used to play basketball in high school, but I hurt my arm dunking, so I quit,” Espejo said. “In college, I tried to focus on my studies, but then I discovered volleyball and kept winning, so at some point I just kept going. It was so much fun,” she laughed. 토토사이트