Volley Week logo

VOLLEY WEEK

Abbondanza's Fenerbahçe brought the final to a fifth match after a dramatic success over VakıfBank

VolleyWeek

VolleyWeek

April 17, 2026 at 09:17

Abbondanza's Fenerbahçe brought the final to a fifth match after a dramatic success over VakıfBank

Fenerbahçe Medicana, led by the coach of the Bulgarian women's national team, Marcello Abbondanza, will play a decisive fifth match for the title in the Turkish Sultanlar Ligi, after leveling the final series against VakıfBank to 2-2 wins.
In the fourth match of the series, the "Yellow Angels" prevailed with3:2 (21:25, 25:19, 25:22, 18:25, 15:11)in the Burhan Felek Sports Hall in Istanbul and kept their chances for the trophy alive.
Abbondanza's team showed character, overcoming the loss in the first set and gradually asserting control over the match. Melissa Vargas was outstanding with 28 points, once again leading the team in the most crucial moments. Arina Fedorovtseva added 16 points, and captain Eda Erdem contributed 10 points and a strong presence in the middle.
Fenerbahçe started hesitantly and lost the first set, but found their rhythm in the second, thanks to Vargas' powerful serves and effective attacks. In the third set, the hosts also capitalized on their opponent's errors to take a 2-1 lead.
VakıfBank reacted in the fourth set and leveled the score, but in the tie-break, Abbondanza's team asserted dominance from the first to the last point. Fenerbahçe dominated the decisive rallies, combining a solid block with good defensive organization.
The Italian specialist managed to stabilize the team at the most critical moment of the series, striking a balance between serving risk and attacking efficiency. Defensive discipline and the transition to counterattack proved crucial in the fifth set.
The champion of Turkey for the 2025/2026 season will be determined in a fifth, decisive match, which will be played on April 19th in VakıfBank's arena. Expectations are for an extremely evenly matched clash, where mental resilience and individual class will be decisive factors.

Photo:fenerbahce.org