The 28-year-old outside hitter signed with Aydın Büyükşehir Belediyespor for the 2026/27 season, her agency Heaven07 Volley Agency announced.
Koleva is already in Aydın and has started pre-season training with her new team.
Aydın will play in the second tier of Turkish volleyball next season, after finishing 13th in the Sultanlar League in 2025/26. The team concluded the regular season with 5 wins, 21 losses, and 18 points, and was relegated from the elite along with Bahçelievler.
However, Aydın's ambitions are for a quick return to the top, and the signing of Koleva is part of the selection for the new season. The Bulgarian's agency even announced that the team's goal is to fight for the title.
For Koleva, this will be her third stint in Turkish volleyball. In the 2023/24 season, she played for Nilüfer Belediyespor, and in 2024/25, she played for Keçiören Belediyespor. In the same season, the Bulgarian started with Radomka Radom in Poland before returning to Turkey.
Last season, the outside hitter was part of the Brazilian powerhouse Praia Clube, with whom she became the Brazilian champion.
Koleva also started the summer with the Bulgarian national team. She was in the squad for the first tournament of the Nations League in Brazil, but after that, she did not participate in the subsequent VNL tournaments. The outside hitter was also not included in Bulgaria's squad for EuroVolley 2026.
Mariya Koleva's career has spanned several strong European championships. After her years at Levski Sofia, she played for CSM Târgoviște in Romania, Paris Saint Cloud in France, Nilüfer and Keçiören in Turkey, Radomka Radom in Poland, and Praia Clube in Brazil.
Now, the Bulgarian international returns to Turkey with one of Aydın's main tasks for the 2026/27 season – for the club to find its way back to the Sultanlar League.

photo: volleyballworld.com