The Turkish men's national team started their participation in the second week of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026 in an impressive manner. In a match from Pool 5, played in the Polish city of Gliwice, the Turks left no chances for China and won with a decisive3:0 (25:16, 25:19, 25:21).
From the very beginning of the match, the Turkish team imposed a high tempo and serious pressure from the serve. The Chinese struggled to find solutions against the opponent's organized block and convincingly conceded the first set with 16:25.
In the second set, Turkey's superiority continued. Alper Hamurcu's players controlled the rallies and increased their lead after 25:19. In the third part, China put up more serious resistance, but the Turks remained stable in the decisive moments and closed the match after 25:21.
Lagumdzija and Yuksel led Turkey to victory
The top scorer in the match wasAdis Lagumdzijawith 18 points. He received strong support fromGokcen Yukselwho scored 15 points.
For China, the only player with a more significant contribution in attack wasWen Zhe Hewith 8 points.
Team Statistics
| Indicator | China | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 34 | 44 |
| Block | 2 | 13 |
| Aces | 1 | 6 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 19 | 12 |
| Total points | 56 | 75 |
| Digs | 36 | 43 |
| Reception | 64 | 49 |
| Sets | 79 | 76 |
The biggest difference came in blocking, where Turkey scored 13 points against just 2 for China. The Turks also outplayed their opponent in serving (6:1 aces) and in attack (44:34 points). China stayed closer only thanks to more points coming from opponent's errors (19:12), but this was not enough to compensate for the huge difference in the other elements.
Top scorers
| Team | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Adis Lagumdzija | 18 |
| Turkey | Gokcen Yuksel | 15 |
| China | Wen Zhe He | 8 |
| China | Yu Y.T. | 6 |
Lagumdzija and Yuksel scored a total of 33 points, which represents almost half of all Turkey's points in the match. China failed to produce a player with a double-digit score, which clearly shows the team's difficulties in attack against the Turkish block and defense.
The victory brought Turkey4.65 pointsfor the world ranking, while China lost the same asset. The Turks cemented their role as favorites in the match and made an excellent start to the second week of the tournament in Poland.
