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The newest club, SOOP, which acquired the women's professional volleyball team Pepper Savings Bank, has officially commenced full-scale training. Despite being rated as a contender for last place due to weakened roster strength, newly appointed head coach Kim Se-jin, returning to the court after seven years, firmly declared that their goal is the championship.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the details.

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Traces of the former club can still be found here and there inside the Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju, but the players have kicked off a new era wearing training gear emblazoned with the new team logo.

Having narrowly escaped the crisis of quitting volleyball due to the team's previous disbandment, their determination for this new opportunity is extraordinary.

[Ko Ye-rim / SOOP Captain: Honestly, I thought I might really have to quit volleyball if the team disappeared. I am so grateful that another chance came our way….]

Returning to the court after seven years as SOOP's founding head coach, Kim Se-jin is focusing on steadying the players' minds.

[Kim Se-jin / SOOP Head Coach: I hope the pain the players went through can be sublimated within this environment…. That leads me to imagine that we could become a very tight-knit team.]

Already considered a bottom-tier candidate following the departure of key players Park Jeong-ah and Lee Han-bi from an already weak roster, Coach Kim threw down the gauntlet, stating he aims to win the championship through teamwork rather than big names.

[Kim Se-jin / SOOP Head Coach: Our goal is the championship. People outside might say talking about making the playoffs is nonsense. I want to create a well-organized color and style unique to SOOP.]

(Video by Hwang In-seok | Video Editing by Hwang Ji-young)