Kixx end Pink Spiders' winning streak as V League race stays hot

GS Caltex Seoul Kixx ended league leaders Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders’ nine-game winning streak on Saturday, and the gap between the Pink Spiders and second-place Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate narrowed to just one point.

GS Caltex Seoul Kixx [YONHAP]

The V League race got even hotter last week. GS Caltex Seoul Kixx ended league leaders Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders’ nine-game winning streak on Saturday, and the gap between the Pink Spiders and second-place Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate narrowed to just one point.

The Kixx displayed a dominant performance against defending champions Pink Spiders at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon thanks to the attack led by Gyselle Silva and Kang So-hwi.

The capital side grabbed the first set 25-20 and lost second set 25-16 due to multiple errors, but bounced back to take the third set 27-25. They went on to win the fourth set 26-19 and notch a final score of 3-1.

The Kixx's Saturday victory brought things full-circle. The Incheon side’s winning streak began with a 3-0 win against the Kixx on Oct. 31 and ended as the Kixx denied them win No. 10. It was the Pink Spiders’ second loss of the season after losing 3-2 to the Daejeon Jung Kwan Jang Red Sparks on Oct. 26.

The Pink Spiders still remain at the top of the table despite Saturday’s loss but are now only one point clear of second-place Hillstate as of Monday.

Hillstate, on the other hand, extended their winning streak to six games last week, beating Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass 3-1 in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Thursday.

If Hillstate continue to dominate on the court, this season may be a chance for redemption after the Suwon side ceded the frontrunner spot to the Pink Spiders mid-way through the last season and ended without a league title or championship.

Last season’s championship winners Hi-Pass are struggling this season, having recorded only three wins — two wins against the Red Sparks and one against the Gwangju AI Peppers — in 14 games so far.

Hi-Pass now sit in sixth-place on the seven-team table and are only six points clear of last-place Peppers.

The Peppers struggled again last week, losing 3-1 to the Red Sparks on Friday and extending their losing streak to seven games.

Competition is also fierce in the middle of the table, with only two points separating fourth-place Hwaseong IBK Altos and fifth-place Red Sparks.

The Red Sparks may snatch the fourth position as they have played one game fewer than the Altos as of Monday.

The V League will continue this week with Hillstate facing the Peppers in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Tuesday, followed by the Red Sparks’ clash with Hi-Pass in Daejeon on Wednesday.

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