Turkey's men's national volleyball team suffered a 1:3 (25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 23-25) defeat to the Netherlands in their second match of the 2025 Nations League. The match was played on Friday in Xi'an, China, with the 'Efelers' starting strong but again failing to hold their lead and succumbing to the more organized opponent.
🏐 Strong start and lost rhythm
Turkey took a 1:0 lead after an impressive first set, in which they showed a powerful serve and good blocking – 12 attacks, 4 blocks, and 2 points from service. Despite a 20-14 lead, the set became tight at the end, but an ace by Efe Lych secured a 25-21 victory.
In the subsequent sets, however, the Netherlands took control, with setter Keemink's experience and opposite hitter's brilliant form proving decisiveMichiel Ahyi.
📊 Individual statistics – Turkey:
| Player | Position | Points | Attack | Block | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaan Gürbüz | O | 21 | - | - | - |
| Efe Lych | OH | 18 | - | - | - |
| Bedirhan Bülbül | MB | 11 | - | - | - |
| Efe Bayram | OH | 11 | - | - | - |
| Vahit Emre Savaş | MB | 10 | - | - | - |
| Murat Yenipazar | S | 1 | - | - | - |
🔻 Turkey conceded18 service errorsand wasblocked 12 times.
📊 Individual statistics - Netherlands:
| No. | Name | Position | Total | Attack | Block | Service | Efficiency (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Michiel Ahyi | O | 31 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 23.68 |
| 12 | Bennie J. Tuinstra | OH | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 8.16 |
| 10 | Koops | OH | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2.50 |
| 5 | Van der Ent | MB | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 14.29 |
| 2 | Gijs Jorna (c) | S | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3.12 |
| 22 | Wiltenburg | MB | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -9.52 |
| 18 | Wijkstra | OH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
✅ Aichinger was the top scorer with 31 points, andTuinstra contributed 13 and showed why next season he will join the Turkish clubSpor Toto.
🔍 Key moments from the match:
1st set (25-21):Turkey took the lead after excellent serving and solid blocking.
Set 2 (23-25):The Netherlands caught up at the end, despite strong resistance.
Set 3 (22-25):Turkey equalized at 14-14, but again lost the end.
Set 4 (23-25):A 3-point lead was melted away, but inaccuracies led to the final turnaround.
📉 Standings and ranking:
17. Turkey:167.14 points (loss of -5.07)
14. Netherlands:267.42 points (progress of 5.7 points)
photo:volleyballworld.com
