Rookies Czechia beat Türkiye in an incredible match in Apeldoorn

Opposite Monika Brancuská was the main figure of Czechia’s fantastic victory, leading the team offensively with a 21-point performance, built with 19 kills, one block and one ace.

“It was an incredible match, I don’t even know what to say,” Brancuská reacted. “I’m full of emotions because we didn’t really expect this. We fought for every ball and I’m really happy that we made it. This team is amazing, and I’m really happy to be a part of it.”

Middle blocker Magdaléna Jehlářová, who registered 13 points with seven kills and six blocks, and team captain and outside hitter Michaela Mlejnková got 12, with ten kills and two blocks, were also important pieces in the unexpected result.

Türkiye had opposite Melissa Vargas and Ebrar Karakurt contributing 15 points each. Outside hitter Saliha Şahin also got to double digits, tallying 11 points, with nine kills and two blocks.

“We made a lot of mistakes today and we could never recover from it,” middle blocker Sinead Jack-Kısal, who played her first match with the Turkish national team, said. “And it’s never easy to play against a team that defends so well. We have to learn from this, but we have two more matches ahead of us and we have to continue to fight.”