Espejo and Phillips break new volleyball grounds for Filipinos.
Marck Espejo finds a new home.
After winning the Spikers' Turf 2023 Open Conference for the Cignal HD Spikers, the Finals MVP will be taking his talents to South Korea.
On Thursday, Espejo was drafted third by the Incheon Korean Air Jumbos in the Korean V-League as part of the Asian Player Quota.
It's an especially stunning pick, given that the squad won the tournament four times—three of them coming consecutively since the 2020-21 season.
Fellow Filipino athletes who joined the draft, such as Cotabato Spikers' conference MVP Jao Umandal and Cignal's Best Middle Blocker JP Bugaoan had one thing to say.
Another HD Spiker and Best Libero Manuel Sumanguid III, meanwhile, took the opportunity to record Espejo's contract signing.
Espejo is not new to the import scene, having played for Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler and FC Tokyo in Japan, Visakha in Thailand, and Bani Jamra in Bahrain.
Another Filipino import, Bryan Bagunas, who helped Win Streak win the championship in Taiwan, also sent his greetings.
Espejo will be the first Filipino male volleyball athlete to play in South Korea. Almost a week ago, Petro Gazz Angels' Best Middle Blocker MJ Phillips made history as the first Filipina to be drafted in the women's tournament for the Gwangju AI Peppers.
"I promise to give it everything I got and make the Filipinos proud," Phillips said.