Five join V League through Asia Quota draft as Mega and Srithong re-sign

Five new players from China, Kazakhstan and Australia joined the V League through the 2024-25 Asia Quota draft that finished at Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Jeju on Wednesday.

Chinese middle blocker Yu Zhang, left, and Gwangju Pepper Savings Bank AI Peppers head coach Chang So-yun at the Asia Quota draft at Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Jeju on Wednesday. [KOVO]

Five new players have joined the V League through the 2024-25 Asia Quota draft that finished at Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Jeju on Wednesday, while former Asia Quota picks Daejeon Jung Kwan Jang Red Sparks opposite hitter Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi and ex-Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate outside hitter Wipawee Srithong re-signed with their old clubs.

The Asia Quota was adopted ahead of the 2023-24 season and is a system through which the seven teams in the V League can recruit an additional foreign player provided they are from select Asian countries.

Mega and Srithong had already rejoined their former teams on Tuesday by signing a new contract before Wednesday's draft, as their old clubs have priority to re-sign their ex-Asia Quota picks a day before the draft. Their contract renewals came after the two established themselves as key players at their respective clubs last season.

The bottom three teams from last season picked first, with the Gwangju Pepper Savings Bank AI Peppers signing Chinese middle blocker Yu Zhang, who reportedly drew interest from multiple teams during a preference survey.

The Hwaseong IBK Altos recruited Chinese setter Xintong Chen and Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass selected Kazakhstani outside hitter Yunieska Robles Batista.

The Red Sparks and Hillstate did not choose any as they had already re-signed their old picks.

The Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders then chose Chinese middle blocker Ruilei Huang, before GS Caltex Seoul Kixx picked Australian German outside hitter Stefanie Weiler.

Outside hitter Stefanie Weiler, right, poses for a photo with GS Caltex Seoul Kixx head coach Lee Young-taek during the Asia Quota draft at Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Jeju on Wednesday. [KOVO]

Australia is a member of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), making it possible for Weiler to join the V League through the Asia Quota draft.

This year’s qualifying nationalities included all 64 members of the AVC excluding Korea, which includes 20 countries and territories in Oceania, up from 10 countries last year.

Three players — former Peppers middle blocker Mar-Jana Phillips, former Hi-pass opposite hitter Thanacha Sooksod and former Kixx outside hitter Darwin Pinsuwan — had rejoined this year’s draft but were not re-signed.

Asia Quota picks in the women’s V League will receive a pay raise starting with the 2024-25 season, with first-year players earning $120,000 — $20,000 more than last season — and second-year players making $150,000.

The new Asia Quota picks will play their first V League games once the upcoming season starts in October.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]