Skywalkers just three wins away from history with 3-0 victory over Bluefangs

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Skywalkers just three wins away from history with 3-0 victory over Bluefangs

Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers outside hitter Leonardo Leyva attacks during the V League game against the Daejeon Samsung Bluefangs at Ryu Gwansun Gymnasium in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Feb. 1. [NEWS1]

Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers outside hitter Leonardo Leyva attacks during the V League game against the Daejeon Samsung Bluefangs at Ryu Gwansun Gymnasium in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Feb. 1. [NEWS1]

 
Having picked up their 16th straight victory on Saturday, the Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers don't just have a men’s V League title in their sights — they're also on the brink of making history.
 
Following a 3-0 defeat of the Daejeon Samsung Bluefangs, the Skywalkers now need just three more wins to break the league's record for longest winning streak of 18 games, a record the team itself set in the 2015-16 season. 
 

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The Skywalkers have put up a formidable 2024-25 campaign, having won 23 of their opening 25 games to stand 20 points clear at the top of the league table as of press time Sunday.   
 
The presence of outside hitters Leonardo Leyva and Heo Su-bong was integral to Saturday's victory, during which Leyva scored 15 points with attacking success rate at 63.6, and Heo added 13 with success rate at 60. The duo has been central to the team's remarkable run: Leyva has amassed 499 points as the second top scorer in the league, with Heo in fourth with 418.
 
If the Skywalkers' seamless run extends to the remaining 11 regular season games, it will end the dominance of reigning champions Incheon Korean Air Jumbos, who have claimed both the league and championship titles for the past four seasons in a row. 
 
A league title win would also be Cheonan's first since the 2017-18 season. A championship win would be their first since the 2018-19 season; the team lost to the Jumbos in the 2017-18 championship and even failed to win the 2015-16 championship, despite having claimed both the winning streak record and league title that season. The 2005-06 campaign remains the last time the Skywalkers swept both titles.
 
If the Skywalkers win both trophies this season, they will claim their third silverware of the campaign following a victory at the Korea Volleyball Federation Cup — a preseason tournament in which all seven V League teams compete — last September. The milestone would also cement head Philippe Blain's first season with the Skywalkers as his most successful yet.
 
Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers head coach Philippe Blain looks on during the V League game against the Daejeon Samsung Bluefangs at Ryu Gwansun Gymnasium in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Feb. 1. [YONHAP]

Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers head coach Philippe Blain looks on during the V League game against the Daejeon Samsung Bluefangs at Ryu Gwansun Gymnasium in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Feb. 1. [YONHAP]

 
While the Skywalkers’ chances of reaching the postseason look likely, the teams below them are in a competitive race with tickets to the playoffs on the line.
 
Defending champions Jumbos are in second place with 47 points followed by Uijeongbu KB Insurance Stars with 41.
 
No. 4 Seoul Woori Card Woori Won, with 33 points, also have the rest of the regular season to narrow the point gap and set the so-called semi-playoffs.
 
In the V League, the third- and fourth-placed teams compete in a semi-playoff in the event if the gap between them is three points or fewer at the end of the regular campaign.
 
The winner of that game faces the league runners-up in the playoffs, with the victor advancing to the championship, where the league winners await.
 
The Skywalkers will turn their attention to their next game against the KB Stars in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday.
 
 

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
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