OK Financial Group confirmed its third place in the league by beating "defending champion" Korean Air in the final home game of the sixth round season after a five-set struggle. With the possibility of a direct playoff, OK Financial Group's players also expressed strong confidence toward a playoff rematch with Korean Air, which has become difficult to challenge for four consecutive losses.
OK Financial Group played a home game against Korean Air in the 2023-24 V-League Men's Korean Air at Ansan Indoor Stadium on March 10 and won with a set score of 3 to 23 to 2 (25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12).
OK Financial Group, which has won two consecutive games thanks to its victory, has 20 wins and 15 losses (57 points) this season, widening the gap with fourth-ranked Hyundai Capital (50 points). If OK Financial Group wins the away match of Hyundai Capital, the final match of the season, or if Hyundai Capital loses a point at the match against Woori Card on Wednesday, it can advance to the playoffs at an early date. Korean Air has 22 wins and 13 losses (68 points) for this season, failing to catch up with Woori Card (69 points), which is leading the league. If Woori wins the match against Hyundai Capital on Wednesday, it can confirm its regular season title.
OK Financial Group won the final game of its 10th anniversary home season, giving great joy to the packed home crowd.
"Thank you to the players who did their best, even though they were tired from the previous game," OK Financial Group massage coach Ogino said after the game. Both the team and the coach showed great attitude toward the game. I felt that the team has grown to a new level. I understood that the opposing team focused on serving practice by setting a target thoroughly because of its good serve reception. It was also good that the opposing team responded differently according to the setter style. Setters followed Leo's request for the use of the opposing striker considering his possession rate," he said.
Regarding his advance to the spring volleyball tournament in three years, Ogino said, "I would like to thank the fans for their enthusiastic support from the opening game of the home game. My Japanese friends came and watched the game, and they felt that the cheering and support that were united in a different atmosphere from Japanese volleyball led to a good performance." If I meet Korean Air in the playoffs, I will keep the good part today. We have to win more as a team because the opponent is a strong team that is higher than us. I want to help them prepare for the playoffs in a fun way rather than putting pressure on them," he stressed.
Leo, who scored 31 points and set the record for the most serve aces in a men's game this season with seven serve aces, was selected as a leading player.
"For the three years since joining the team, I have finally come to the result that I have longed for," Leo said. "It was a season with many twists and turns, just like losing all three rounds and winning all four rounds. Korean Air is a strong team and it has shown good flow and teamwork throughout the season. If we meet again in the playoffs, we have to be more aggressive. I hope our fellow Korean players who are experiencing the playoffs will enjoy the game. I will fight in front of them. I hope they enjoy the game and play comfortably," he added with a nod. 메이저 토토사이트
Shin Ho-jin, who relieved Leo with 19 points on the day, also said, "It's my first spring volleyball tournament, and I think I achieved my goal this year. I'm even more happy because I gained the result by focusing on all my efforts with the older members. There were many plays that always discouraged me when I meet Korean Air. I think today's result will serve as an opportunity to break such bad news. Even if we meet again in the playoffs, if you are in the same mindset as today, you will have a good chance of winning. I want to say that I have more expectations than worries about the first spring volleyball tournament. I will try to enjoy it."
Song Hee-chae, who returned to her parents' home through trade and watched spring volleyball for the first time in three years, expressed different emotions. "I am very proud that I came back to my friendship and contributed to advancing to spring volleyball," Song said. "It would have been nice if we could have performed this season with a better performance, but I think now is a precious opportunity considering the tough times for our team. Since we secured the top two teams in the sixth round, I think we will gain confidence in the short-term match. In the short-term match, someone has to be crazy. I hope that (Shin) Ho-jin's explosive power and excitement will increase further. I hope that he will lead to a good jinx because he has never lost in the playoffs as a member of OK Financial Group." he smiled.
