Correspondent Lee Dae-ho = Korean Air’s championship victory, which achieved the second treble in men’s volleyball history in the 2022-2023 season (ranked first in the regular league, won cup competitions and championships), is the moment that announces the birth of a new dynasty.
Korean Air overcame Hyundai Capital with a set score of 3-2 in the 3rd game of the V-League men’s championship decision (3 wins from 5 matches) held at Yu Gwan-sun Gymnasium in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do on the 3rd, and ended the championship match with a series total of 3 wins.
On this day, Korean Air achieved two records,안전놀이터 a combined championship and a treble for three consecutive years.
Since the 2020-2021 season, Korean Air has not let go of the trophy for winning the regular league and the championship match, and this season started after winning the professional volleyball cup competition and ended with a splendid treble.
Both the combined championship and treble for three consecutive years are all the more meaningful as they are titles held by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, the ‘first dynasty’ in men’s volleyball.
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, which was the strongest team from the unemployment league, maintained its pride as a strong team even after the launch of the V-League and won three consecutive championships from the 2011-2012 season to the 2013-2014 season, setting the record for the longest in the men’s division.
In the 2009-2010 season, he also achieved the first treble in the men’s division.
Through this season, Korean Air was handed the ‘Prince of Seal’ and announced the launch of the ‘2nd Dynasty’, shoulder to shoulder with the achievements of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance.
It is the 2010-2011 season that Korean Air, which has been treated as second or third after being pushed by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Hyundai Capital since the launch of professional volleyball, began to leap forward in earnest.
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, which reigned as the strongest team in men’s volleyball, began to go downhill after the mid-2010s, and it was Korean Air that filled that position.
Korean Air took first place in the regular league in the 2016-2017 season, and has advanced to the championship game six times in the seven seasons up to this season, winning four times.
The secret that Korean Air was able to open the men’s volleyball dynasty is simple.
It is the result of the team’s steady investment for a steady ‘upward’ graph, the right direction, and the team’s efforts.
Ahead of the 2016-2017 season, Korean Air appointed coach Park Ki-won, who has accumulated various experiences in overseas leagues, and began to incorporate speed volleyball, the mainstream of world volleyball, into the team in earnest.
Korean Air, which won its first championship match in the 2017-2018 season under coach Park Ki-won, was not satisfied with this and appointed Roberto Santili, an Italian coach, in the 2020-2021 season to win its first integrated championship.
After coach Santili left the league after a year, he continued to make a shocking decision by appointing coach Tommy Tillikainen, born in Finland in 1987.
It was a senior who could read the will not to let go of the international trend.
And coach Tilly Kainen was responsible for two of Korean Air’s four championship victories by achieving a combined championship from last season, his first year in charge, to this season.
Another secret that Korean Air has been able to open a dynasty is the existence of one player, the best setter in the league.
Player Han played the role of ‘captain on the court’ and obtained the fourth championship ring in his personal career.
Born in 1985, he is now at an age more suited to being a coach than a player, but Han Seon-soo brought his team back to the top with his seasoned game management that no one else can imitate.
The club was responsible for the high flight of Korean Air, which reached its heyday with generous investment.
Ahead of this season, he signed with Ji-seok Jeong, the main player of the team, for 920 million won, the highest free agent ever, and Seung-seok Kwak, the hidden core of the team’s power, was also caught at 710 million won.
Korean Air spent a total of 2.447 billion won, including Ji-seok Jeong and Seung-seok Kwak, Seong-tae Jin (312 million won), and Kyu-min Kim (505 million won), to capture players from their own team in the free agency market ahead of this season.
In addition, one player added 330 million won in an annual salary of 750 million won and an option of 330 million won, for a total of 1.08 billion won, exceeding 1 billion won in total compensation for the first time in professional volleyball history.
Players with thicker wallets reciprocated by building dynasties.