The Sultans of the Net take the court: The only goal against Japan is victory

The Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team will take the court in their first match of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Antalya leg, aiming for their 23rd consecutive victory against Japan.

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The Sultans of the Net take the court: The only goal against Japan is victory

The Sultans of the Net's match against Japan at the Antalya Sports Hall, where they will play their first game of the season, will begin at 20:00.

The "Sultans of the Net," who made history by winning the VNL for the first time last year, suffered only 3 defeats in the 15 matches they played.

The national team, which lost 3-2 to Japan in the tournament, managed to defeat their opponent 3-1 in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualifiers.

NO DEFEATS IN THE LAST 22 MATCHES

Having experienced their last defeat in official matches against Japan with a 3-2 score on June 28, 2023, in the first match of the third week of the league in Bangkok, the Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team has not seen a defeat in the 22 matches they have played since that encounter in the VNL, the CEV European Championship, and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualifiers. The national team won three trophies in 2023, the year of firsts.

The matches in the organization that the national team won consecutively are as follows:

FIVB Volleyball Nations League: Thailand, Brazil, Croatia (Group), Italy (Quarter-final), USA (Semi-final), China (Final)

CEV European Championship: Sweden, Azerbaijan, Czechia, Greece, and Germany (Group), Belgium (Round of 16), Poland (Quarter-final), Italy (Semi-final), Serbia (Final)

2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualifiers: Puerto Rico, Bulgaria, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Belgium

Three-trophy Santarelli's new goal is consecutive championships

Italian head coach Daniele Santarelli, whose appointment as the head of the Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team was announced on December 27, 2022, became the champion in the VNL, the first organization he led the "Sultans of the Net" in.

Later, the Italian head coach, who experienced a European championship for the first time with the national team, also led the national team to the championship in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualifiers. With this success, the national team also earned the right to participate in the Olympics.

The national team has achieved 28 victories in the 31 matches they have played under Santarelli's management. Wanting to continue their winning streak, Santarelli aims to win the first tournament of this year and become champion again consecutively.

EDA ERDEM DÜNDAR IS NOT IN THE SQUAD

The squad of the Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team, which will compete in the first week of the VNL, has also been announced. Captain Eda Erdem Dündar will not be able to compete in the Antalya leg due to an injury.

The following players are in the national team's squad:

Setters: Cansu Özbay, Elif Şahin

Opposite Hitters: Melissa Vargas

Outside Hitters: Hande Baladın, Ebrar Karakurt, İlkin Aydın, Derya Cebecioğlu, Tuğba İvegin

Middle Blockers: Zehra Güneş, Aslı Kalaç, Beyza Arıcı

Liberos: Simge Aköz, Gizem Örge, Ayça Aykaç Altıntaş

FIRST WEEK PROGRAM

The "Sultans of the Net" will compete in Antalya from May 14-19 in the first week of the league, in the USA from May 28-June 2 in the second week, and in China from June 11-16 in the third week.

In the VNL, where 16 teams will compete, the teams that finish in the top 8 of the standings after three weeks will earn the right to compete in the finals.

News Source: 12punto