The Turkish women's national volleyball team qualified for the World Championship semi-finals for the first time in its history. The European champions, led by star Meliha Karakurt and the Cuban-born player with a Turkish passport, Melissa Vargas, defeated the USA 3:1 (25:14, 23:25, 25:14, 25:22) in Bangkok. Thus, our southern neighbor, who only reached eighth place at the previous World Championship, will face Japan in the next stage, whose coach is the Turkish specialist Ferhat Akbas. The match is scheduled for September 6 at 11:30 a.m. Bulgarian time.

Match flow

After being literally crushed in the first set, the Americans put up serious resistance in the second set, when after a series of 7 consecutive points they turned the score around and managed to close it 25:23. In the remaining sets, however, Turkey demonstrated class, discipline, and character. Karakurt took the lead in attack, and Vargas contributed with crucial points in decisive moments. The fourth set offered a contested game, but the Turkish women withstood the pressure and wrote a new page in their volleyball history.

Match statistics

Turkey outperformed their opponent in key elements  especially in attack (56 versus 40) and block (19 versus 11). Although they lagged in serving, their superiority at the net and in offense was crucial for the win.

Karakurt and Vargas form a powerful tandem, contributing a total of 44 points – more than half of the team's total.

The Turkish team also wins the defensive battle with 17 more digs, allowing them to organize stable counterattacks. The Americans perform better in reception, but this is not enough to compensate for the opponent's offensive power.
Historically, the Turkish team has met the Japanese team twice at World Championships in the last 15 years, and both times – in 2006 and 2010 – they lost to the Land of the Rising Sun with a score of 1:3.

Photos:volleyballworld.com