Korean Air defeated Hyundai Capital in this year's V-League Championship Finals to reclaim the title after two years, completing the first treble (triple crown) in club history.
Korean Air defeated Hyundai Capital 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23) in Game 5 of the 2025-2026 V-League men's division Championship Finals (best-of-five series) at Incheon Gyeyang Gymnasium on Thursday. After winning Games 1 and 2 but losing Games 3 and 4 consecutively, Korean Air finished the series with a 3-2 record, returning to the top for the first time since the 2023-2024 season when they achieved four consecutive integrated championships.
Korean Air also completed the first treble in club history by winning the Cup tournament, finishing first in the regular season, and now capturing the championship. Including their first championship title in the 2017-2018 season and four consecutive titles from 2020-2021 through 2023-2024, this marks their sixth overall championship trophy. Meanwhile, defending champions Hyundai Capital, who achieved a triple crown last season, failed to complete the first "reverse sweep championship" in men's division history despite winning Games 3 and 4 after losing the first two.
Korean Air delivered three service aces in the first set alone, securing a dominant seven-point victory that halted Hyundai Capital's steep momentum after their consecutive 3-0 wins in Championship Games 3 and 4. Although Hyundai Capital mounted a fierce counterattack after losing the first set, Korean Air showed stronger endurance. Korean Air's Masso stepped up as the closer at crucial moments to extend the lead, and Lim Dong-hyuk's powerful straight spikes helped secure the second set.
Korean Air lost the third set, overwhelmed by Hyundai Capital's aggressive push from the start. In the fourth set, Korean Air trailed 11-14 through the middle, dominated by Hyundai Capital's momentum, but leveraged their advantage in the middle to shift the flow of the match. In what the article describes as the fifth set but was actually the fourth, Korean Air continued a back-and-forth battle, reaching match point at 22-22 after Hyundai Capital's Heo Su-bong committed a service error and Lim Dong-hyuk delivered a back attack. At 24-23, Kim Min-jae's quick attack completed the final piece of the championship puzzle.
Korean Air was led by Masso, who recorded 17 points including six blocks and one service ace. Jeong Ji-seok (14 points) and Lim Dong-hyuk (12 points) also contributed double-digit scoring to the victory. For Hyundai Capital, Leo (17 points) and Heo Su-bong (12 points) combined for 29 points, but it was not enough to secure the win.
