Seoul, Korea, April 16, 2020: Former Rookie of the Year Na Gyeong-bok and veteran center Yang Hyo-jin have been named MVP in South Korean men's and women's pro volleyball, respectively, Yonhap News reports.
The Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO) announced the first-time V-League MVPs in a press release, with its annual awards ceremony held behind closed doors at a Seoul hotel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Only the winners were invited for photo ops.
The regular 2019-2020 season for both men and women came to a halt on March 2 in the wake of the virus outbreak, and KOVO wiped out the remainder of the season on March 23.
With Na on the attack, the Woori Card Wibee ended up as the men's regular season champions by virtue of sitting atop the seven-team standings.
On the women's side, Yang and her Hyundai E&C Hillstate had the best record at the time of cancellation.
Na, the 2016 Rookie of the Year, became only the third player in the league's 15-year history to win both the top rookie award and the MVP.
Na, who turned 26 Wednesday, led all domestic players in total points with 491, good for sixth overall. He ranked fourth in the league and second among South Korean players in attack success rate (52.92 percent).
Yang, 30, led the league in blocks per set for the 11th consecutive season (0.85), and led all centers with 429 points, good for sixth overall.
