Türkiye finishes second in world championship

ISTANBUL

Türkiye on Sept. 7 finished in second place at the Women’s Volleyball World Championship after a 3-2 defeat to Italy. The team, also known as the “Sultans of the Net,” won Türkiye’s first-ever silver medal in the Women’s World Volleyball Championship.

Paola Egonu rallied Italy to victory with 22 points. Melissa Vargas was the top scorer for Türkiye with 33 points. Brazil, meanwhile, defeated Japan 3-2 (25-12, 25-17, 19-25, 27-29, 18-16) in the third-place match to win the bronze medal. In the match, the first set went to Italy, who narrowly defeated Türkiye 25-23.

In the second set, Türkiye bounced back strongly, winning 25-13 to level the match. The third set was tightly contested, with Italy edging out Türkiye 26-24. In the fourth set, Türkiye dominated and secured the set 25-19, clinching the match. The final set ended with Italy winning 15-8.

The national team advanced from Group E in the World Championship without dropping a set, defeating Spain, Bulgaria and Canada. In the Round of 16, the “Sultans of the Net” beat Slovenia 3-0. They then overcame the U.S. 3-1 in the quarterfinals and defeated Japan 3-1 in the semifinals, reaching the World Cup final for the first time in the country’s history.

In her earlier statement after the win against the U.S., Türkiye’s star outside hitter Ebrar Karakurt said, “It’s a historic day for us, it’s the first time our national team makes it to the final four of a world championship.”

“We came into this match strongly believing we could win it. Each of my teammates did their best, and I’m very proud of them. I tried to help the team and am proud of what I was able to do today. But it’s not over yet. We have two more matches to play, and we want to win gold here,” the player added.

According to Türkiye coach Daniele Santarelli, “the most important moment of the summer has arrived for the team.” “We’ve played Japan, one of the best teams in the world, many times before,” he said. “We know they’re an incredible team. They never give up. They fight hard and defend well. We want to give it our best shot, too.”

Meanwhile, NBA All-Star Alperen Şengün scored 24 points as Türkiye held off Sweden to win 85-79 and reach the EuroBasket quarterfinals on Sept. 6. Şengün, a forward with the Houston Rockets, added 16 rebounds. Türkiye will play Poland for a spot in the semifinals.