Seongnam Hi-Pass clinches season title

Seongnam Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-Pass is the regular-season champion of the women’s professional volleyball league (V-League) for the first time in 10 years after beating Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate on Saturday.

At the Suwon Gymnasium in Suwon, Gyeonggi, Hi-Pass beat Hillstate 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 25-14, 25-18) to clinch its second regular season title with two games remaining. Hi-Pass American attacker Nicole Fawcett scored 46 points to lead the team.

Hi-Pass sits atop the standings with 20 wins and eight losses.

Hi-Pass will directly advance to the best-of-five championship series, which starts March 27.

Hi-Pass has never won the championship series, losing against KT&G (now Daejeon KGC) in 2005 and Incheon Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders in 2006.

BY JOO KYUNG-DON [joo.kyungdon@joongang.co.kr]