Korean Air, which has become stronger due to reorganization, is also satisfied with the head coach

 Long rest has become a medicine for tired players. Korean Air, a men's professional volleyball player who went straight to the championship game as No. 1 in the regular season league, won its first game, leaving only two wins for its fourth consecutive game.

Korean Air, led by head coach Tommy Tilikainen, won the first round of the men's championship match against Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Postseason OK Financial Group at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon on the 29th with a set score of 3-1 22-25 25-22 25-20 25-18.

According to the Korea Volleyball Federation KOVO, the odds of winning the first round of the men's championship game in the V-League postseason were 72.2 percent 13 times out of 18 seasons. Korean Air, which is trying to win its fourth consecutive championship game for the first time in the men's history of the V-League, won the first round of the championship game for three consecutive years following the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons.

"Ace" Jung Ji-seok led the team to victory with 31 points, the most between the two teams, while Maxim Zigarov registered as Maxim, a new foreign player who joined the team ahead of the championship match, also received 20 points. In particular, Korean Air showed 50.67 percent in receiving efficiency, showing more stable defense than OK Financial Group 37.5 percent.

Korean Air played its last regular league game against KB Insurance on the 14th, and had a two-week reorganization time as it confirmed its No. 1 ranking as a result of the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance-Woori Card match on the 16th.

In fact, Korean Air did not start very well. Jung Ji-seok 9 points and Maxim 5 points combined for 14 points in the first set, but they made 10 mistakes, which left them regretful. However, Korean Air showed strength from the second set, and Maxim also displayed strong potential to boost the mood.

Korean Air, which caught up to the third set, continued its flow until the beginning of the fourth set, and tilted toward the additional Korean Air of the match early on. In the end, Korean Air responded with a victory to the support of its home fans as it maintained its lead until the end.

After the match, Tilikainen said, "Actually, we didn't have a good start, and the opponent team did a good job just in the first set. Both we and the players knew this opportunity didn't come for free. I think the players were able to pull themselves together and turn the game around," adding, "This is the first step. We have to prepare hard because we have more games to come. The story will be different in each game. Our players showed strength on the court, which is what our team needed."

He did not forget to mention Jung Ji-seok who led his team to victory. "Jung Ji-seok did a good job by himself. I had a hard time this season due to injury, but Today's game is also an important game, so I think I proved myself," Tilikainen said in expressing satisfaction.

"In fact, I think the team's performance is more important than the individual's. It's a championship game, and I think the team's play was more important than the individual's play," he said. "Maksim is an experienced and good player. We talked a lot before the game and he is a player who can coordinate on the court by himself. As we still have games left, I think he will show his improvement and performance every day. He expressed confidence that he can go further and do enough even in difficult situations. That's how prepared he was." 토토사이트 추천

Having produced satisfactory results in the first leg, Korean Air is aiming for its second consecutive win in the second leg. The second leg of the championship game will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon.