▲ The Korean Air Jumbos players celebrate.
The Korean Air Jumbos, the V-League men's division integrated champions from last season, defeated the runners-up Hyundai Capital to claim their second consecutive Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) Cup title.
Korean Air beat Hyundai Capital 3-1 in sets in the final of the 2026 Yeosu-NH Nonghyup Cup Pro Volleyball Tournament held at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, on October 25.
With this victory, Korean Air, the most successful team in KOVO Cup history, extended its record to 7 championship titles.
The final drew significant attention as a rematch between Korean Air and Hyundai Capital, who had clashed in the championship series of the previous V-League season.
Last season, the two teams played a fierce five-game series in the championship finals, with Korean Air lifting the trophy with a head-to-head record of 3 wins and 2 losses.
Meeting again in a cup final about six months later, the two rivals delivered a intense match befitting their rivalry.
Korean Air narrowly secured the first set.
Trailing 23-24 after allowing a tooled-off attack to Hyundai Capital's main weapon Huh Su-bong from a 23-23 tie, Korean Air forced a 24-24 deuce following an opponent service error.
Jung Ji-suk then took control of the attack opportunity by effectively blocking Huh Su-bong's attempt, and middle blocker Kim Kyu-min teamed up with setter Han Sun-su to successfully execute a quick middle attack that caught the opponent off guard, turning the score around.
At 25-24, Jung Han-yong kept alive a back-row attack by Hyundai Capital's Asian quota player Zhang Chuan with a dig, and Im Dong-hyuk followed up by smashing a powerful shot into the opposing court.
The second set was narrowly dropped.
Leading 18-15, Keturkis (registered name Keturkis) committed a service error, and struggling against the powerful serves of opponent Leonardo Leyva Martinez (registered name Leo), Korean Air surrendered consecutive points to allow a 18-22 turnaround.
Unable to find a turning point while losing momentum, Korean Air dropped the second set 21-25.
Korean Air bounced back by taking the third set to regain the lead.
The third set also featured a razor-thin, one-point battle before Korean Air edged ahead 24-23 with an attack by Keturkis.
At 24-23, Jung Han-yong closed out the set by blocking an attack from Hyundai Capital's Sin Ho-jin.
The match was settled in the fourth set.
Leading 16-15, Korean Air scored three consecutive points through a back-row attack by Keturkis, an open attack by Jung Han-yong, and a service ace by Jung Ji-suk to pull ahead 19-15.
Although Korean Air subsequently allowed consecutive attacks to Leo and Sin Ho-jin, narrowing the gap to 20-18, they maintained a two-point lead spearheaded by Keturkis.
At 22-20, consecutive errors—a service error by Jung Tae-jun and an attack error by Huh Su-bong—sealed the match.
New foreign player Keturkis scored a team-high 25 points, while Kim Kyu-min added 15 points, including 3 blocks.
Jung Ji-suk contributed 14 points, Im Dong-hyuk scored 7, and Jung Han-yong added 6.
For Hyundai Capital, Leo put on a one-man show with 24 points and an attack success rate of 73.33%, but the team tasted bitter defeat due to crucial errors made at critical moments.
Korean Air head coach Renan Dal Zotto watched the match from the stands after recently undergoing surgery for a herniated lumbar disc, with coach Rafael Hedwige leading the team.
The tournament MVP award went to Keturkis, who received 13 votes from the press corps, edging out teammate Kim Kyu-min (12 votes) by a single vote.
Leo was selected as the MIP (Most Impressive Player for the runner-up team), and Kim Min-jae of Korean Air was named the Rising Star.
(Photo provided by the Korea Volleyball Federation, Yonhap News)
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