Brazil's women's national volleyball team played their strongest match of this year's Nations League (VNL 2025), defeating hitherto unbeaten Turkey 3:1 in sets (25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-15) on Sunday afternoon in Istanbul. With this success, the 'seleção' practically secured their place in the final phase of the tournament and can finish the second week in second place, depending on the outcome of the match between Poland and Serbia.

After this result, Italy remains the only undefeated team in the competition H 8 wins from 8 matches H and tops the standings alone.

Head coach José Roberto Guimarães relied on the same lineup from the last two matches H setter Macris, opposite Tainara, middle blockers Julia Kudiess and Diana, outside hitters Julia Bergmann and Ana Cristina, and libero Laís. However, Kudiess was replaced by Lorena at the net early on.

Ana Cristina was an undisputed leader with 27 points (24 in attack, 2 on block, 1 ace). Diana added 13, Bergmann H 12, Lorena H 11, and Tainara H 7. Gabi appeared as a starter only in the third set, finishing the match with only 1 point. For Turkey, Ebrar Karakurt was the top scorer with 17 points, followed by Yaprak Erkek (15) and Melissa Vargas (14).

The Brazilians showed exceptional play, especially in defense and blocking H with their best performance so far in the tournament. Macris' distribution, which skillfully involved the centers, helped for a more effective attack, especially for Ana Cristina. After the third set, Guimarães switched to a variation with three outside hitters, aiming to provide more attacking freedom for his star player.

Now the Brazilian team has 10 days of rest before the last tournament of the preliminary phase H in Chiba, Japan (July 9 H 13). There, in their first match, they will face the team of Bulgaria. The final phase will be held from July 23 to 27 in Łódź, Poland.

Historical attendance record in VNL

The match between Turkey and Brazil in Istanbul was not just a sports spectacle, but also a historical event. 17,034 spectators filled the Sinan Erdem Dome, setting an absoluteattendance record in the history of the Women's Nations LeagueThis not only demonstrates the enormous popularity of volleyball in Turkey, but also highlights the passion of the fans for the national team, regardless of the result.

Turkey is the undisputed leader in interest and attendance in recent years H a total of6 out of the 10 most-watched matchesin the history of the tournament have been held on its territory. The most impressive figures were recorded precisely in June 2025, when Turkish fans filled the halls for the matches against South Korea (15,824), Canada (14,863) and the Dominican Republic (14,487), further emphasizing the country's status as one of the leading volleyball nations not only on the court, but also in the stands.

photos:volleyballworld.com