Mighty Incheon drafts Marck Espejo 3rd overall in Korean league draft

MANILA, Philippines, April 28 ------ The Incheon Korean Air Jumbos drafted Filipino volleyball superstar Marck Espejo third overall out of seven picks in the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) Men’s Asian Quota draft.

Already the reigning three-time champions in the Korean V-League, the Air Jumbos are getting even more loaded with the addition of the 26-year-old phenom, who last led the Cignal HD Spikers to a conference sweep in the Spikers’ Turf back home in the Philippines. Espejo, already a well-traveled international import, had two stints in the Japan V. League with Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler from 2018-2019 and FC Tokyo from 2021-2022. The former five-time UAAP MVP also made pit stops in Thailand with Visakha and in Bahrain with Bani Jamra.

Three other Filipino standouts, however, were left undrafted, namely reigning Spikers’ Turf MVP Jau Umandal and Espejo’s Cignal teammates Manuel Sumanguid and JP Bugaoan. Aside from Espejo, Fil-Am middle blocker MJ Phillips of the Petro Gazz Angels was the only other Filipino selected in the pioneering KOVO Asian Quota drafts in the women’s division last week. Other local stars who tried their luck in the proceedings were multi-titled setter Jia de Guzman and former Thailand imports Dindin Santiago-Manabat and Mylene Paat.

Source: rappler.com