▲ Ko Eui-jeong
The new women's professional volleyball team SOOP has sequentially acquired outside hitters Ko Eui-jeong and Seo Ji-hye through trades.
SOOP announced today (August 10) that it has bolstered its flank attack by carrying out separate trades with IBK Industrial Bank and Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
First, SOOP secured Ko Eui-jeong and a second-round draft pick for the 2026-2027 rookie draft by sending Jeong Sol-min to IBK Industrial Bank.
▲ Seo Ji-hye
Following that, SOOP brought in Seo Ji-hye by giving up its second-round draft pick for the 2027-2028 rookie draft to Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
Ko Eui-jeong, who stepped onto the professional stage as the fifth pick in the second round of the 2018-2019 rookie draft, is a player whose strengths lie in her powerful serve and flank attacking ability.
She has consistently performed on the V-League stage, playing in 30 or more matches for three consecutive seasons starting from the 2020-2021 season.
Born in 2005, young blood Seo Ji-hye is a resource with high utilization in attack and blocking at the front court.
SOOP stated that it recruited Seo Ji-hye by highly evaluating her potential for growth.
Following previously recruited players Jeon Sae-yan and Song Eun-chae, the addition of Ko Eui-jeong and Seo Ji-hye allows SOOP to further elevate internal competitiveness by position for the upcoming season.
Kim Se-jin, head coach of SOOP, expressed satisfaction, saying, "Through these acquisitions, we expect to widen the scope of player management and raise competitiveness within the team. We will build a team where the players can fully demonstrate their respective strengths."
Meanwhile, SOOP is accelerating its full-fledged preparations for its inaugural season, with foreign player Audriana Fitzmorris and Asian quarter player Yizhuo entering the country sequentially on the 7th and joining the squad.
(Photo courtesy of SOOP Volleyball Team, Yonhap News)
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