Hi-Pass secure third place to reach V League postseason

Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass players celebrate after winning a V League game 3-0 against the Gwangju AI Peppers at Pepper Stadium in Gwangju on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass beat the Gwangju AI Peppers 3-0 at Pepper Stadium in Gwangju on Tuesday, locking in third place in the 2022-23 V League and a spot in the postseason with a game still to go.

Hi-Pass still have one last league game against the GS Caltex Seoul KIXX on Friday, but that match’s result will not change their position on the table as fourth-place Daejeon KGC is four points below the Gimcheon side.

Friday’s game result will determine whether Hi-Pass play in the playoffs or semi-playoffs, however, as the V League rules stipulate that the semi-playoffs are played between a third and fourth-place team when the gap between them is three points or less.

Hi-Pass have 57 points as of Wednesday, while KGC have 53 points.

The semi-playoffs will take place assuming KGC manages at least one point in their last game on Thursday and Hi-Pass fails to earn one point on Friday.

The winner of the semi-playoffs will then land in the playoffs to play against the runners-up in order to decide the team that faces the league leaders in the championship.

Hi-Pass will directly advance to the playoffs if the point gap with KGC remains the same.

The league leaders as of press time on Wednesday are the Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders, who are six points clear on top of the table. The Pink Spiders’ second-to-last game was still due to be played later in the evening.

There is a high chance that the Pink Spiders will secure the league title and land in the championship, possibly on Wednesday evening, as they only need one point in their last two games to win the league.

The runners-up as of Wednesday are Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate, who are 13 points above Hi-Pass on the table.

Hillstate will automatically land in the playoffs once the Pink Spiders take the league title, which will put the Suwon side against the third-place team or the winner from the semi-playoffs.

The semi-playoffs have never taken place in the history of V League women’s volleyball.

This competition in the middle of the table between the three teams — Hi-Pass, KGC and KIXX — has been as fierce as the league title race between the Pink Spiders and Hillstate. The gap between the three teams until the end of January was only five points.

This is the first time Hi-Pass has booked a spot in the postseason since the 2018-19 season, when they finished as runners-up and failed to win the championship.

Hi-Pass are playing their last league game on Friday against the KIXX at Jangchung Arena, central Seoul.

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