The new season in the Turkish Sultanlar League began with three matches decided in a tie-break, two full comebacks from 0:2, and a significant Bulgarian presence. Alexandra Milanova and Iva Dudova opened the championship with victories, while Radoslav Arsov's Göztepe remained without points in their away game in Ankara. Among the leading scorers of the round were two volleyball players with connections to Bulgarian national team members – Alexandra Uzelac and Derya Cebecioğlu. After the first seven matches, Fenerbahçe is at the top of the provisional standings.
Milanova and Dudova started with wins, Arsov – with a loss
Alexandra Milanova with Afyon Belediyespor recorded an excellent start. The newcomer to the elite began the season with a tough away game against Kuzeyboru, but left Aksaray with a 3:2 victory (25:22, 19:25, 25:23, 23:25, 15:13).
Milanova played a significant role in the success. The Bulgarian outside hitter scored 17 points, including 2 aces, and was only behind Sevgi Solak, who finished with 20. Our national player recorded 28% attack efficiency, 41% positive reception, and 24% perfect reception. Afyon also added 15 points from blocks and began its participation among Turkey's best teams with a victory.
There was also drama in Bursa, where Eczacıbaşı found themselves in a very difficult situation against Nilüfer. The hosts took a 2:0 lead, but the Istanbul grand club turned the tide and reached 3:2 (20:25, 19:25, 25:18, 25:19, 15:12).
This was also Iva Dudova's first match in the Sultanlar League. The Bulgarian appeared from the bench in the first two sets, and at 0:2, she started as a starter in the third. Dudova finished her participation with 5 points. Ebrar Karakurt was the top scorer for the winners with 26, while Alexandra Uzelac and Camila Weitzel added 18 each.
The first round also brought the official start of Radoslav Arsov at the helm of Göztepe. The former Levski coach began with an away game against İlbank in Ankara, where his team lost 1:3 (22:25, 22:25, 27:25, 17:25).
Göztepe stayed close to their opponent in the first two sets and managed to extend the match after a contested third set, but İlbank did not allow the match to go to a tie-break. Yushan Juan was the top scorer for Arsov's team with 22 points, and Ksenia Lyabovkina added 15. For the hosts, Malwina Smarzek finished with 26, and Sara Lozo – with 17.
Uzelac and Cebecioğlu also started with victories
There was an interesting Bulgarian nuance in two more performances during the first round. Serbian national player Alexandra Uzelac, Simeon Nikolov's girlfriend, was among the key figures in Eczacıbaşı's comeback against Nilüfer. She finished with 18 points and shared second place in scoring for the team with Camila Weitzel.
Derya Cebecioğlu, Denis Bardarov's girlfriend, also started with a victory. The Turkish national player and Türk Hava Yolları also had to erase a two-set deficit. Galatasaray took a 2:0 lead, but Türk Hava Yolları turned it around to 3:2 (23:25, 19:25, 25:23, 25:22, 15:13). Cebecioğlu scored 17 points and was second in scoring for the winners after Anna Lazareva, who finished with 24. Vita Akimova scored 27 for Galatasaray and became the top scorer in the match.
Results from the first round
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Kuzeyboru – Afyon Belediyespor | 2:3 (22:25, 25:19, 23:25, 25:23, 13:15) |
| Fenerbahçe Medicana – Manisa Büyükşehir Belediyespor | 3:0 (25:12, 25:17, 25:14) |
| Türk Hava Yolları – Galatasaray | 3:2 (23:25, 19:25, 25:23, 25:22, 15:13) |
| VakifBank – Besiktas | 3:1(25:16,25:18,23:25,25:19) |
| Nilufer Belediyespor – Eczacibasi | 2:3(25:20,25:19,18:25,19:25,12:15) |
| Ilbank – Goztepe | 3:1(25:22,25:22,25:27,25:17) |
| Aras Cargo – Zeren Spor | 3:0(25:16,25:20,25:20) |
Three of the seven matches went to a fifth set, with Eczacibasi and Turk Hava Yollari having to come back from 0:2. Fenerbahce and Aras Cargo were the only teams not to lose a set, and Alexandra Milanova's team took two points in their first test as a newcomer in the elite.
Temporary standings
| No. | Team | M | W | L | Sets | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenerbahce Medicana | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 |
| 2 | Aras Cargo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 |
| 3 | VakifBank | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
| 4 | Ilbank | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
| 5 | Eczacıbaşı | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 2 |
| 6 | Afyon Belediyespor Yüntaş | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 2 |
| 6 | Türk Hava Yolları | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 2 |
| 8 | Galatasaray | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 1 |
| 8 | Kuzeyboru | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 1 |
| 10 | Nilüfer Belediyespor | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 1 |
| 11 | Göztepe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
| 12 | Beşiktaş | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
| 13 | Zeren Spor | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0:3 | 0 |
| 14 | Manisa Büyükşehir Belediyespor | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0:3 | 0 |
Fenerbahçe leads the standings after the first round thanks to a better point ratio than Aras Kargo. Iva Dudova's Eczacıbaşı is fifth with 2 points, Aleksandra Milanova's Afyon is in sixth place with the same asset, and Radoslav Arsov's Göztepe is 11th without a point.
