Turkish National Team posing and celebrating their success

Nargiz Mammadzada

The Turkish National Team defeated China 3-1 in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League and became the champion.

Also known as the “Filenin Sultanları”, the Turkey Women’s National Volleyball Team has made history in the USA. A National Women’s Volleyball Team defeated China 3-1 in the FIVB Nations League Final and became champions. The cup rose in the hands of Captain Eda Erdem.

The Best of the World

“They are at the top of the world rankings!”

With this result, the “Filenin Sultanları” rose to first place in the world rankings. They are at the top of the world rankings with 365.64 points. They also won a gold medal in the international arena for the first time. Three players from the team were selected for the Dream Team of the tournament.

The Beginning of the Match

Starting the fight with the 3-0 series with the effective serves used by Ebrar Karakurt, the Turkish national team continued their effective game at the beginning of the set and maintained the difference of 3 points (8-11).

The Asian team improved their offensive efficiency following the break of Chinese head coach Cai Bin, closing the gap and taking the lead by one point (13-12). While both teams traded points up until the middle of the set, the Turkish national team finished the first set, which was contentious until the very end, ahead 25-22 after taking the lead 19-16 with the 4-point series caught in Derya Cebecioğlu’s service round.

The Second Set

The Turkish national team made a strong start to the second set, closing the gap to four points (5-9) early on. China closed the gap to one point (9–10) by getting consecutive numbers from the middle players and spikers.

After Head Coach Daniele Santarelli’s break, the Turkey Women’s Volleyball Team started to play even better. In Vargas’ service round, the Turkish national team again widened the gap to four points (10-14). The Asian team led 16-15 after catching a 5-point run because of errors the Turkish national team made during the attack. China won the second set 25-22 after refusing to let the deficit widen.

The Third Set

While both countries started the third set with mutual points, the Turkish national team increased the difference to 4 points (5-9) with Ebrar Karakurt’s successive points. The Turkish national team increased the gap to 7 points (9-16) in the middle of the set with the points of Vargas and Eda Erdem Dündar, despite the Asian team’s attempts to close the gap with mid-attacks. The national team led 25-19 at the end of the third set as they continued to play well.

The Fourth and Last Set

China made a strong start to the fourth set, taking the lead by three points (6-3) early on. With the help of the Vargas numbers, the Turkish National Team closed the gap and forced a draw at 6-6. With Zehra Güneş’s blocks and Vargas and Ebrar Karakurt’s offensive points in the middle of the set, Turkish National Team increased the deficit to 5 points (7-12). The national team played well all the way through the fourth set, winning it 25-16 and the game 3-1 to win the championship for the first time in the history of the tournament.

The Bests

After the final match, the ‘best’s of the tournament were also announced. While Melisa Vargas won the “Most Valuable Player” and “Best Opposite Setter” awards in the Nations League, Zehra Güneş was named the “Best Middle Player” and Gizem Örge the “Best Libero”.

Amazing Captain: Eda Erdem

“It is like a dream. I still can not believe it.”

Eda Erdem, the captain of the Turkish National Team, who got emotional before scoring the final number of victories and brought millions of people to tears of joy with her, expressed her feelings after the championship with these words:

“It is like a dream. I still can not believe it. I have been playing for the National Team since 2005. We have had a lot of joy. We have had really great success. I am so proud of my teammates. We have made history. It is hard to explain my feelings right now. Vargas is not just a great player, she is also an excellent person. She has always shown that she is one of us. Everyone has done an excellent job here.”

Head Coach of the Turkey National Women’s Volleyball Team: Daniele Santarelli

“We did a great job!”

Turkey National Women’s Volleyball Team Head Coach Daniele Santarelli also emphasized that he is very proud to be champion and said, “I saw what every coach wanted to see. So many players worked for this goal. I could not have imagined that when I came here. The players I work with right now are extraordinary. Our federation is very good. We are going to celebrate this championship right now. We did a great job.”

Winner of the Bronze Medal in the Organization: Poland

Poland and the USA faced off in the Nations League bronze medal match. Poland won the bronze medal after beating their opponent 3-2 in sets 25-15, 16-25, 25-19, 18-25 and 17-15. They showed success in winning a medal for the first time in the history of the organization.

What is FIVB Volleyball Womens Nations League?

The Nations League is an international tournament organized annually by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) with the participation of countries.

The first week of the tournament was held in Antalya between 31 May and 4 June 2023, the second week in Hong Kong between 14-18 June 2023, and the third week in Bangkok between 28 June and 2 July 2023. The 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League Finals were held in Arlington, USA, on 12-16 July.

The winner of the tournament last year was Italy.

 

You can watch the highlights of the game between China and Türkiye from the Final of the Volleyball Nations League 2023 in Arlington, United States:

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Featured image courtesy of Astro medya Org. Ltd. ŞTİ. on commons.wikimedia.org. Image has been cropped. Image license found here.

Nargiz Mammadzada is the head of our Sports Section. She is from Baku, Azerbaijan, but currently lives in Gdansk, Poland. She also writes for various platforms in the United States, Australia, Canada and United Kingdom.

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