Pepper Savings Bank, the women's professional volleyball team, has appointed commentator Jang Ji-yeon (50) as its new head coach.

"Pepper Savings Bank has appointed coach Jang Yong-hee as the new head coach to lead the team alongside coach Jang Ji-yeon," the bank said on Friday.

Jang, who made a name for himself as a national middle blocker during his playing days, played in the domestic league from 1992 with the Woori team until 2016. He is considered the epitome of an offensive middle blocker, having won the league championship and been named the best middle blocker, as well as the league MVP, blocking award, and offensive award. In her last team, Korea Expressway Corporation, she served as a playing coach. She raised the profile of Korean volleyball by participating in various international tournaments under the Taegeuk mark. After retiring in 2016, she worked as a volleyball commentator for SBS Sports for eight seasons.

Head coach Lee Yong-hee (42) is a former setter with more than 10 years of coaching experience in the Korean women's professional teams. Starting as a coach at Korea Expressway Corporation in 2012, she has been the head coach at GS Caltex for seven years since 2017.

"Coach Jang has a great understanding of the women's volleyball team and players, as she has a colorful career as a player and many years of experience as a commentator in the women's league," said Kim Dong-un, 스포츠토토 head coach of AI Peppers. "With her strong leadership and operational abilities, she is the right person to overcome the situation the team is facing and has excellent communication skills to unite the players into one team."

"I am very excited to take on a new leadership role as the new head coach," said Zhang, "I will do my best to change and grow the team through volleyball that is true to the basics and meet the expectations of the fans."

Zhang will be tasked with setting the tone for the team and leading Pepper Savings Bank's next chapter. The youngest club in the league, founded in 2021, has finished in last place out of seven teams in the league for the past three seasons, including the 2023-2024 season.