Turkey advances to Women's Volleyball Nations League final after defeating China 3-0
Turkey advanced to the final of the 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League by defeating China 3-0 in the semifinals today.
Turkey won the match in straight sets, 25-21, 25-15 and 25-20, to secure its place in the championship match.
The team will face Brazil in the final tomorrow. Brazil reached the final earlier today after defeating Italy 3-2 in the other semifinal.
This is the third time Turkey has reached the Women's VNL final and will face Brazil for the first time in a final match. The team won its first title in 2023, along with its first European Cup title.
Post-match comments
Turkey's star opposite hitter Melissa Vargas said in a post-match interview that tomorrow's match would be intense and "point-for-point."
Team captain and libero Gizem Örge praised her team's performance following their latest victory, saying, "There was a team on the court that knew what it was doing, we are happy and proud."
Örge noted that the tournament has seen "surprising" results so far, citing China defeating the US to reach the semifinals and Brazil beating Italy today.
"Tomorrow will be a tough match," she said.
Middle blocker Zehra Güneş said today's match was not as easy as the 3-0 score line suggested. "Asian teams are always tough for us," she said.
About tomorrow's final, Güneş said details will determine the outcome of the upcoming final match.
"There are players we know there. We know how they will play. I hope we win," she added.
Head Coach Daniele Santarelli said he was very happy after the match, saying, "We managed the game very well."
Looking ahead to tomorrow's final, he said, "Brazil is always Brazil," despite having a few injured players.
Addressing the fans, Santarelli said, "Support us as always," adding that the team wants to make the people happy.
Story of the match
The match opened with the teams trading points, staying tied through the first 14 points at 7-7. Responding to the host team's increased attacking efficiency, the national team relied on strong front-row play from Sinead Jack Kısal to become the first team to reach 10 points at 9-10.
Maintaining their effective play through Elif and İlkin, the national team widened the gap to seven points at 12-19. Although China cut the deficit to three points at 18-21 through strong play from Yuanyuan Wang as Hande Baladın's attacks near the net stretched the lead late in the set, the national team countered China's strong serves with effective attacks to take the first set 21-25 and lead 1-0.
While China held the lead early in the second set, the national team closed the gap with strong attacks and forced the opponent to call a timeout at 6-8.
Taking advantage of empty space in the backcourt, the team extended its lead through Zehra and Vargas to 12-18. Maintaining their scoring advantage late in the set, the national team took the set comfortably at 15-25 to lead 2-0.
Both teams displayed strong defensive play in the third set, remaining tied through the first 20 points at 10-10. Turkey maintained its scoring edge late in the set to win 20-25 and secure a 3-0 victory.
(VK)
