Türkiye to make fifth VNL semifinal appearance in Arlington

Türkiye had opposites Melissa Vargas and Ebrar Karakurt (playing as outside hitter) together on the court and the new playing system worked well, with the two combining for 24 points. VNL rookie Vargas led all scorers with 16 points (14 kills, one ace, one block), while Karakurt adjusted well to the new role, adding another eight, with seven kills and one block.

“I’m really proud of my team, we did a great job today,” Karakurt reacted. “We worked very well against a really strong team and it’s good to start the Finals with a 3-0 win. But we want to be the champions and we have two more matches. We know our entire country is behind us and we want to thank them for their support.”

The winners also had strong performances from their middles, with captain Eda Erdem producing 11 points (six kills, five blocks) and Zehra Gunes contributing ten, with two kills, two aces and six blocks.