The Sultans of the Net take the court in Istanbul: VNL excitement begins!

The Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team, which will use the home-court advantage in the tournament being held in Istanbul for the first time in history, will face the Dominican Republic at the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall at 19:30.

Making an impressive start to the first week's matches, the Sultans of the Net defeated France 3-1 in their first game. They then swept Thailand 3-0 without dropping a set, and in their third match, they defeated their strong opponent Poland 3-2 to finish the week undefeated.

In the VNL, which features a total of 18 teams, the top 8 teams in the standings after the three-week group stage will earn the right to advance to the final stage. The quarter-final pairings will be determined as 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, and 4-5.

The Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team has achieved significant success in the organization, which has been held under the name Volleyball Nations League since 2018. The national team, which finished second in the first year, placed fourth in 2019 and 2022, third in 2021, and celebrated a championship in 2023.

In last year's tournament, the national team bid farewell to the tournament in the quarter-finals.

19:30 Dominican Republic-Turkey

19:30 Canada-Turkey

19:30 South Korea-Turkey

19:30 Turkey-Brazil

Cansu Özbay, Melissa Vargas, Zehra Güneş, Ebrar Karakurt, and Gizem Örge, who were not in the squad for the matches played in China during the first week of the VNL, will be on the court wearing the crescent-and-star jersey during the Istanbul leg.

The following national volleyball players are in the national team's second-week squad:

Setters: Cansu Özbay, Elif Şahin

Opposite: Melissa Vargas

Outside Hitters: Hande Baladın, Ebrar Karakurt, Yaprak Erkek, Meliha Diken, Saliha Şahin

Middle Blockers: Aslı Kalaç, Zehra Güneş, Deniz Uyanık, Berka Buse Özden

Liberos: Simge Aköz, Gizem Örge

Reserve players: Dilay Özdemir, Ayşe Çürük, Ayçin Akyol, Eylül Akarçeşme Yatgın