Home > Sports > Volleyball

Hi-Pass acting head coach served V League championship opportunity

Published: 02 Apr. 2026, 14:37

Coach Kim Young-rae, center, serves as acting head coach in the absence of Kim Jong-min. [KOREA VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION]

Gimcheon Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-Pass opens the V League championship series against GS Caltex Seoul Kixx under unusual circumstances, with acting head coach taking charge of the club just days before the finals.

“I’ve lost 6 kilograms [13.2 pounds],” Kim Young-rae said Wednesday.

Kim was speaking ahead of Game 1 of the V League championship series at Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium after suddenly being put in charge of the team.

Hi-Pass announced last Thursday that it would part ways with head coach Kim Jong-min despite finishing first in the regular season. With Kim Jong-min’s contract running only through Tuesday, the club decided to hand the championship series to Kim Young-rae, then the senior coach, as acting head coach.

“I kept talking with coach Kim Jong-min about training and other matters,” Kim Young-rae said. “He helped a lot and gave me advice.”

“The players took it hard after the first reports came out,” said Kim Young-rae. “We also adjusted the training load because I was worried someone might get hurt before the championship series. We cut out drills that looked likely to cause injuries.”

“We have to trust the players,” Kim Young-rae said. “We have a lot of veterans, and Bae Yu-na has been doing a lot to steady the mood.” He added that he was not excessively worried overall, but was concerned that a mistake on his part during an unexpected in-game situation could hurt the team.

Coach Lee Young-taek applauds his players during Game 2 of the playoff series. [YONHAP]

Thanacha Sooksod, who injured her ankle late in the regular season, will start the match. “She’s been out so long that her overall feel for the game has dropped,” Kim Young-rae said. “I told the players in our meeting that if we focus only on the first match, the early part of the first set and the early part of the second set, we can play well. If you’re a professional, you have to overcome the nerves.”

“We have to believe,” Kim Young-rae said. “We went 5-1 against them during the season, so we have confidence. What we talked about yesterday is that if we handle serve receive well, our attackers can play comfortably.”

“Our coaching staff hasn’t been eating or sleeping well,” Kim Young-rae said. “We can’t show that to the players, but among ourselves we’re discussing everything from one to 10.”

“You can see in the GS players’ eyes, and in Gyselle Silva’s actions, that she is bringing the team together,” Kim Young-rae said. “They’re different from the regular season. They’re scary.” He added that his own team also has strong outside hitters and should play well once its match rhythm returns.

The Kixx, meanwhile, earned three days off after finishing its playoff series against Hyundai E&C Hillstate in the second match.

Players nominated by each club at the 2025-2026 Korea Volleyball Federation Women's Rookie Draft pose for a commemorative photo at the Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo District, western Seoul on Sept. 5. [NEWS1]

“The players were tired and worn down, so it was precious time,” Kixx coach Lee Young-taek said. “We rested well and recovered well.”

“We’re trying to keep Silva’s training to a minimum,” Lee said. “She had a short session yesterday, and she looked good.”

“It's true that Hi-Pass’ lineup is stronger than ours,” Lee said. “To make things even a little more difficult for the balls going to Laetitia Moma Bassoko, and to defend and block better, we need to target them with our serves.”

Lee added that Hi-Pass is a strong defensive team and that the Kixx would use every possible method. “We did beat them once in the sixth round, so we prepared with that match in mind.”

“At that time Thanacha wasn’t there, and our serves worked well,” Lee said of the team’s 3-0 sixth-round win. “Our middle blockers also didn’t get pushed around, so we were able to play well. In the end, it’s about momentum. We’ve been playing well through the prelim playoff and the playoff, so we’ll try to push from the start.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM HYO-KYOUNG [[email protected]]