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| Giselle Silva / Photo: KOVO |
[Sports Today reporter Kang Tae-gu] GS Caltex edged Korea Expressway in a five-set thriller and moved one win away from the V-League title.
GS Caltex beat Korea Expressway 3-2 (25-15, 14-25, 20-25, 25-22, 15-7) in Game 2 of the Jin Air 2025-2026 V-League championship series on April 3 at Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium.
With back-to-back road victories in Games 1 and 2, GS Caltex is now one win shy of its fourth championship and its first since the 2020-21 season, its first in five years.
Korea Expressway, meanwhile, dropped both home games and now faces the brink of elimination.
Silva led the way again for GS Caltex, pouring in 35 points to spearhead the win.
Korea Expressway’s Moma fought valiantly with 30 points, but her efforts weren’t enough to change the outcome.
GS Caltex dominated the opening set. Trailing 10-11 early, Silva’s string of points swung momentum, and domestic contributors like Choi Ga-eun and Yoo Seo-yeon provided timely support.
At 17-14, GS Caltex ripped off seven straight points to reach set point, and Silva’s quick open closed out the set.
Korea Expressway answered emphatically in the second set. After falling behind 1-2, they rattled off six consecutive points to seize control. Bae Yuna’s transition attacks and Kang So-hwi’s blocks helped Korea Expressway build a comfortable lead.
GS Caltex countered by subbing Silva out briefly, but Korea Expressway, led by Bae Yuna and Moma, took the second set convincingly.
Korea Expressway carried that momentum into the third set. GS Caltex started strong with Silva scoring and Choi Ga-eun blocking, but Korea Expressway’s offense—from Moma, Thanacha, Kang So-hwi and Kim Se-bin—overwhelmed them and flipped the match.
At 10-11, Moma scored on an open and followed with a block to put Korea Expressway ahead. The trio of Kang, Thanacha and company kept attacking inside GS Caltex’s court to close out the set.
GS Caltex fought back to force a fifth set. In a tight fourth set, Korea Expressway grabbed the lead on Thanacha’s quick open and Kim Se-bin’s block, but Silva’s sharp hitting and An Hye-jin’s service pressure produced a six-point run and a comeback for GS Caltex.
Reina and Silva added points to reach set point, and Moma’s serve into the net sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
The final set belonged to GS Caltex. Reina opened with aggressive attacks to put the visitors up 4-0, and contributions from Silva, An Hye-jin and Choi Ga-eun pushed the team to the 10-point mark.
Korea Expressway and Moma battled to the end, but Moma’s open attack sailed wide, sealing GS Caltex’s victory.
[Sports Today reporter Kang Tae-gu sports@stoo.com]
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