Korean Air defeated OK Financial Group

Korean Air had the first laugh in professional volleyball.

Korean Air defeated OK Financial Group 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-18) in straight sets in the best-of-five (best-of-three) first leg of the 2023-24 V-League championship match at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon on Monday.

Korean Air, which won the regular season title in dramatic fashion with a loss to Woori Card in the finals, cruised to a fourth consecutive title with the first-round victory. Historically, the winner of the first game of a championship match has a 72% chance of winning the title. Of the 18 championships, the first-round winner has won 13 times.

Korean Air dropped the first set to OK Financial Group, which had won three straight games from the semifinals to reach the championship, but rebounded for a 3-1 victory behind Jung Ji-seok (30 points), new foreign player Maksim (20 points), and a high blocking wall (11 points).

Jung had a strong performance with a 66.7% attack percentage and seven blocks. Maksim, a new foreigner who has been with Korean Air for only a week, also quickly integrated into the team's play.

OK Financial Group was led by Leo (22 points), Shin Seong-jin (11 points), and Song Hee-chae (11 points), but their attacking success rate was low overall.

The first set was won by OK Financial Group. It was close until 14-14. 토토사이트 Kwak Myung-woo and Song Hee-chae blocked Maksim's back attacks one after another. The score was three points until Shin Shin-jin scored. OK Financial Group then took the first set after Leo and Shin's back-to-back blocks extended the lead to five points.

However, Korean Air fought back in the second set. Kwak Seung-seok scored a back attack, followed by a service ace by Jeong Jung-seok. OK Financial Group took an early lead of 4-1 with an attack error by Song Hee-chae. Jung Ji-seok and Maksim continued to score points, and OK Financial Group responded with points from Leo, Shin Seong-jin, and Song Hee-chae.

OK Financial Group cut the deficit to one point at 21-22 after a back-attack by Leo and an attack error by Jeong Ji-seok. Korean Air saved set point with a kill from Jung Ji-seok and a back-attack from Maksim, and won the second set with an attack error from Leo.

Tied at 14-14 in the third set, Korean Air's blocking wall proved to be the difference. Kwak Seung-seok's attack kill and Shin Seong-jin's attack error gave Korean Air a 16-14 lead, and Kim Gyu-min blocked Song Hee-chae's attack. At 19-16, Kim Min-jae blocked Leo's spike to reach 20 points. Afterward, Jung Jung-seok blocked a spike from Shin Seong-jin to extend the lead to six points and secure the win.

In the fourth set, Korean Air took a comfortable lead thanks to the duo of Jeong Ji-seok and Maksim. They extended their lead to six points at 14-8 midway through the set, breaking OK Financial Group's will to catch up. OK Financial Group was unable to close the gap as they committed attack errors one after another.