Turkey's national women's volleyball team won the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), beating China 3-1 in the final in Arlington, the US.
Captain Eda Erdem was the one to lift the VNL trophy and the team, Sultans of the Net, won the most significant victory of Turkish volleyball ever in the match that started at 01:30 am today in local time last night.
Prior to the VNL 2023, the national team of Turkey had the silver and bronze medals won in the VNL in 2018 and 2021.
The national team started the match with a series of 3-0, with Ebrar Karakurt's aggressive serves making a significant contribution.
After winning their first World title, Turkey ascended to the top of the women's volleyball world rankings.
Poland wins their first medal
Earlier on Sunday, Poland claimed their first-ever medal in the VNL by prevailing over the United States in the tie-breaker (25-15, 16-25, 25-19, 18-25, 17-15) to finish in third place.
Eda Erdem: "I am living in a dream"
"I'm living a dream right now," Eda Erdem, the captain said after winning the championship. "I just can't believe it, it doesn't feel real. I've been representing my country since 2005 and there's been so much sacrifice, so much sadness and so much joy. It's been a long journey and I think that this year, with coach Santarelli, he made us believe we could be the champions. He helped us grow and remember who we are. I'm so proud of my team, we made history, we waited for it for so long," she concluded.
The players in VNL finals China: Diao, Li, Yuanyuan Wang, Gong, Yunlu Wang, Yuan, Mengjie Wang, Xu, Zhong, Zheng, Du, Yang, Gao, Ni Turkey: Elif Şahin, Ebrar Karakurt, Zehra Güneş, Melissa Vargas, Derya Cebecioğlu, Eda Erdem Dündar, Gizem Örge, Simge Aköz, Ayça Aykaç, Cansu Özbay, Saliha Şahin, İlkin Aydın |
(PE)
