The 2023 Volleyball Nations League champions, Türkiye became the third national team to earn a spot in the Finals of the 2025 edition of the tournament and will compete in Łódź, Poland, from July 23-27.
The Turkish secured their place among the tournament’s top eight teams with a solid 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-21) victory over hosts the Netherlands in their first match in the third week of the VNL 2025 in Apeldoorn on Wednesday and join hosts Poland, Brazil and Italy as the teams already guaranteed.
The sweep against the Dutch represented the eighth Turkish victory in nine VNL matches so far and elevated their points total to 22, moving them up to third place in the standings. They are now out of the reach of Czechia, the first team outside the qualification zone, which has four victories and ten points.
Star opposite Ebrar Karakurt was on fire against the Dutch and was the match’s top scorer, dropping an impressive 21-point (19 kills, one block, one ace) performance in a three-set match. Opposite Melissa Vargas notched 13, with ten kills, two blocks and one ace.
“Tonight’s match was really incredible,” Karakurt said. “We love to play in Apeldoorn because a lot of Turkish people come here to support us. The first match is always difficult, and the Netherlands are a great team. It’s great that we got to start with a 3-0 victory, and I hope that we continue like this until the end of the week.”
Opposite Elles Dambrink led the Dutch side with 15 points scored, tallying 14 kills and one ace. Team captain and outside hitter Nika Daalderop also got to double digits, producing 11 points.
Earlier on Wednesday in Apeldoorn, Serbia claimed their first VNL 2025 victory, coming back to beat Czechia 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 28-26, 25-18), while Italy topped Belgium 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-18).
Volleyball Nations League 2025: full schedule and results
On Thursday, only two matches will be held in the Dutch city, with Italy and Serbia meeting at 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT) and Belgium facing the Netherlands at 20:30 (18:30 GMT).
The Europeans are currently in sixth place with five wins (16 points) and depend only on their own results to find their way to Łódź later this month. With two victories and seven points, Canada are in a difficult position to qualify and also have to worry about relegation as they rank 15th in the 18-team VNL 2025.
Outside hitter Lina Alsmeier had a huge performance for Germany, leading the team with an impressive 26 points (25 kills, one block). Fellow outside hitter Lena Stigrot came next with 14 points, all obtained in kills.
“I’m very proud of the entire team, and I’m very happy for how much we fought together for every point,” Alsmeier said. “I’m super happy, and it’s a big relief that we won this in five. Our main goal is to get to the Finals, and we have some exciting matches ahead of us still, but this victory was an important step in that direction.”
On the Canadian side, 21-year-old opposite Anna Smrek was the most productive with 20 points (17 kills, two blocks, one ace). Middle blocker Nyadholi Thokbuom added 16, while outside hitter Abagayle Guezen contributed 15.
Two more matches will be held on Wednesday in Arlington, with the Dominican Republic and China battling at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT) and hosts the United States playing Thailand at 19:30 (00:30 GMT, Thursday).
On Thursday, Thailand and Germany will face off at 16:00 (21:00 GMT), with the USA and the Dominican Republic meeting later, at 19:30 (00:30 GMT, Friday).
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