Hillstate blank Pink Spiders to win V League Championship

Hillstate beat the Pink Spiders 3-2 in the third game of the 2023-24 V League Championship on Monday, winning the best-of-five series and claiming both the league and championship titles for the first time in 13 years

Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate celebrate winning the 2023-24 V League Championship after a 3-2 win over the Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on Monday. [NEWS1]

Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate beat the Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders 3-2 in the third game of the 2023-24 V League Championship on Monday, winning the best-of-five series 3-0 and claiming both the league and championship titles for the first time in 13 years.

Hillstate went into Monday’s game at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the back of two 3-2 wins. The game turned out to be neck-and-neck through the fourth set, with Hillstate losing the first set 25-22, winning the second set 25-17, losing the third 25-23, before winning the fourth 25-23.

The Suwon side then displayed more dominance in the last deciding set, winning it 15-7 for a third straight 3-2 victory and sealing the club's third championship title.

The Pink Spiders’ Willow Johnson scored 30 points, in addition to 23 points apiece by Kim Yeon-koung and Reina Tokoku, but their efforts still fell short of Hillstate’s attack led by Laetitia Moma Bassoko, who recorded 38 points alone as the top scorer of the game.

Fellow ace Yang Hyo-jin also shone on the court, scoring 18 points for Hillstate.

Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate's Yang Hyo-jin, center right, poses with the Championship trophy after winning the 2023-24 V League Championship at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on Monday. [NEWS1]

“Since I joined [this team] when I was young, I’ve put on stars [won titles],” Yang said after the game. “I also wanted to put on stars in the middle of my career, but there were some disappointing moments, so I feel like this year’s is more meaningful.

“There were some games that we could not overcome, so other teams did not pick us as a favorite to win in the beginning, but we still thought that we were going to win, which I think allowed us to perform well through the end. I feel thankful for my teammates, coaching staff and head coach who all worked well as one team.”

Yang, 34, is a one-club player, having played for Hillstate since 2007 and won five league and three championship titles with the team.

The third championship victory for Hillstate came after they missed a chance to claim the title in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons, during which they were unable to play in the championship despite winning the league titles, as the postseason was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year is the first time that Hillstate have won the championship since 2016, when Hwaseong IBK Altos took the league title.

As for the Pink Spiders, Monday’s loss marked a second straight season where they have reached the championship and failed to win it.

The Incheon side won the league last year and was on the verge of claiming the championship title, but missed it after allowing Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass to come from two games behind to take the title.

This season was likely a disappointment for Pink Spiders ace Kim, who re-signed a one-year contract extension with the team last year after earning free agency for the first time in her career.

She said at the time that she re-signed as she wanted to have one more shot at a championship title with the Pink Spiders.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]