Korean Air Jumbos extend lead at top of V League

The Incheon Korean Air Jumbos celebrate after beating Seoul Woori Card WooriWON 3-2 on Wednesday at Jangchung Gymnasium in central Seoul. [YONHAP]

The Incheon Korean Air Jumbos widened the gap at the top of the men's V League, taking a five point lead over the Uijeongbu KB Insurance Stars after beating the third-place Seoul Woori Card WooriWON 3-2 on Wednesday at Jangchung Gymnasium in central Seoul.

It was a tight match with the two teams winning one set after another until Korean Air took the decider fifth set 15-10. Over the entire game, the total points difference between the two clubs was only two, with Woori Card scoring 104 points while Korean Air scored 106.

Lincoln Williams of Korean Air scored 21 points, the most for the team. Alex Ferreira of Woori Card was the high scorer of the match, scoring 23 points alone.

With the victory over Woori Card on Wednesday, the Jumbos are now on a six-game winning streak.

On Sunday, Korean Air beat Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon in three straight sets.

With four matches remaining, the Jumbos are looking to defend their regular season title.

The Jumbos won the men's V league title last year after beating the Seoul Woori Card Wibees — now the WooriWON — in the championship series to take both the regular season and championship titles for the first time in the club's history. It was also the first time in seven years that the V League has seen one team win the double. The last time the feat was achieved was back in the 2013-14 season, when Samsung Fire Insurance won both.

The Jumbos currently top the table with 21 wins and 11 losses so far this season, closely followed by KB Insurance five points behind.

With the men’s V League season nearing its end, the Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO) announced in a board meeting on Thursday that there will be an increase of players in the rosters starting next season from the current 18 to 21.

This decision reflects the fact that the men’s clubs often have difficulty managing the roster around players returning from military service.

KOVO also announced that the upcoming 2022-23 men’s V League will kick off on Oct. 22 and end on April 7, 2023. Matches will take the same format, with the seven clubs playing a total of 126 matches.

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