Hillstate win gruelling marathon game to snap 5-game losing streak

Volleyball

Published: 26 Feb. 2023, 20:40

Hillstate win gruelling marathon game to snap 5-game losing streak

Yang Hyo-jin of Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate, left, encourages her teammates during a V League game against the Hwaseong IBK Altos at Suwon Gymnasium in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Saturday. [YONHAP]

Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate cut their five-game losing-streak on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over the Hwaseong IBK Altos at Suwon Gymnasium in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

Hillstate secured an important two points after a gruelling 151 minutes against the Altos, the longest game so far in the 2022-23 V League season.

As the length of the match suggest, it was a tough game for both sides. Hillstate looked to secure their first win in six games, while the Altos attempted to record their second win in a row against the Suwon side.

The two sides had clashed three days before Saturday’s game, which ended with a 3-0 victory for the Altos.

Unlike that game, Saturday’s clash was neck-and-neck until the end.

Hillstate were off to a shaky start as they lost the first set 25-14.

They displayed resilience in the second set though, taking it all the way to a tied score at 25-25 and pulling through to take the set 31-29.

The Suwon side failed to maintain that momentum in the third set, however, as they conceded multiple points to Altos’ ace Daly Santa in the last moment. They eventually lost the set 25-21.

Hillstate bounced back again in the fourth set, taking it to a tied score once again. Yang Hyo-jin and Lee Da-hyeon led the team’s attack and managed to take the set 32-30.

It came down to the fifth set to decide the victory. The final set was much more intense than the previous four, with the lead constantly changing hands.

Hillstate finally rallied to take the set at 15-13, cutting the team’s five game losing-streak.

The Suwon side, who had ridden a 15-game winning streak in the early days of the season, started the losing streak after losing 3-0 to their biggest competitor Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders on Feb. 7.

They even ceded the top spot on the table to the Pink Spiders after the Incheon side thrashed the Gwangju AI Peppers 3-0 on Feb. 15.

With Saturday’s win, however, there is still a chance for Hillstate to regain their seat at the top of the table. They rank in second — five points below the league leaders with one more game played than the Pink Spider as of press time.

There are now five league games remaining for the Suwon side.

Hillstate will face the GS Caltex Seoul KIXX next at Jangchung Arena in Jung District, central Seoul on Wednesday.

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