Former South Korean national team volleyball players Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young. [Turan VC social media]
Former South Korean national team volleyball players Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young. [Turan VC social media]

Twin sisters and former South Korean national team volleyball players Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young will play together again, this time in the Azerbaijani Super League.

Turan VC announced Friday that it had signed Lee Da-young, days after announcing the signing of Lee Jae-young on Tuesday (local time). The club said Lee Da-young, "a representative figure of Korean volleyball," would play for Turan in the 2026-2027 Azerbaijani women's volleyball league season.

The sisters faced a major crisis in 2021 while playing for Heungkuk Life in the domestic V-League, when allegations emerged that they had committed school violence during middle school. Their club suspended them indefinitely, and the Korea Volleyball Federation stripped them of their national team eligibility, in effect ending their careers in Korea.

Lee Jae-young joined Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki in late 2021, but a knee injury cut her stint short after just a few games, and she returned home within about a month. After stepping away from the court for an extended period, she hinted at retirement in July 2024, writing that she hoped people would "cheer on my second life." She then signed with Victoria Himeji in Japan's SV League the following year, returning to professional play after roughly four years away.

Upon joining Himeji, Lee Jae-young said she "sincerely reflects" on past events, adding, "Volleyball is something irreplaceable to me, and I was worried I might never play again. I am truly grateful to the team for giving me another chance." After leaving Himeji in May, she will now continue her playing career in Azerbaijan.

Lee Da-young had played across numerous overseas leagues since leaving Korean volleyball — starting with PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece, then moving through CS Rapid Bucharest in Romania, Volero Le Cannet in France, Panionios GSS in Greece and San Diego Mojo in the United States — before landing in Azerbaijan to reunite with her older sister.


betterj@heraldcorp.com