Hillstate set new record with 15-game winning streak

Volleyball

Published: 23 Feb. 2022, 16:24 Updated: 23 Feb. 2022, 17:33

Hillstate set new record with 15-game winning streak

Yang Hyo-jin of Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate, center, plays the ball against the Industrial Bank of Korea Altos on Tuesday at Suwon Gymnasium in Suwon. [YONHAP]

Hyundai Hillstate extended their winning streak to 15 matches on Tuesday, the longest winning streak in women's V league history.

The 2021-2022 women's V League season started October and, after breaking during the 2022 Winter Olympics, resumed play on Monday.

Hillstate was able to set the new record on Tuesday after beating the Industrial Bank of Korea Altos at Suwon Gymnasium with a set score of 3-1, beating the previous record of 14 consecutive wins set by Seoul GS Caltex Kixx in the 2009-10 season.

During their 15 consecutive wins, Hillstate won 45 sets, conceding only 10 in total. They pulled off a 3-0 complete shutout in seven of their matches and had to play only two five-full-set matches.

Yassmeen Bedart-Ghani of Hyundai Hillstate, right, attacks during a the match against Industrial Bank of Korea Altos on Tuesday at Suwon Gymnasium in Suwon. [NEWS1]

Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani of Hillstate scored the most points on Tuesday, at 28, with Olympian Yang Hyo-jin adding 20 points for the team as well.

The women's V League has been popular for some time, but has recently gotten more attention than ever thanks to the women's national team's fourth-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. Yang played a big part in that success.

Yang turned professional in 2007, debuting with Hillstate, and has been playing with the club ever since. Not only is Yang a franchise star, she has topped the board for the most blocks for 11 consecutive seasons.

This season, Hillstate have dominated the league. Last December, Hillstate reached a winning streak of 12 games that fell apart on Dec. 7, when Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-pass beat them 3-2 to cut the streak. The current winning streak started from the very next game.

Hillstate is looking to win the V League trophy for the first time in 11 years. The last time Hillstate won the trophy was in the 2010-2011 season, when they won 20 out of 24 matches.

Hillstate missed out on their chance at winning in the 2019-2020 season, which was cut short after the first five rounds. Hillstate had topped the table that season after winning 20 matches and losing seven.

Last season, Hillstate finished at the bottom of the table, winning only 11 of their 30 matches.

The Pink Spiders hold the most titles, having won the Championship title in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2019. They also finished runner-up four times in 2008, 2011, 2017 and last season, when they lost to the Kixx in the Championship series.

As of press time, Hillstate are scheduled to face Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-pass at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]