VNL 2026

Slovenia win epic three-setter against Turkiye to grab first semifinal spot in Ningbo

Mozic and Mujanovic power their team through the tough battle

Published 09:40, 29 Jul 2026

Slovenia (SLO) vs. Türkiye (TUR) - Quarterfinals #116767305

Slovenia booked the first semifinal spot in the men’s Volleyball Nations League after an epic straight-set victory over Turkiye in the first quarterfinal in Ningbo Beilun, China on Wednesday. Their semifinal opponent will emerge from Thursday’s quarterfinal between Poland and Ukraine.

Watch the Volleyball Nations League 2026 on VBTV

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In a match that lasted well beyond two hours and felt more like a five-setter, Slovenia squeezed out a 3-0 (25-21, 35-33, 39-37) win and made it among the best four in the VNL for the third consecutive and fourth overall time. Turkiye put up a big fight before leaving the competition with their heads held high, after advancing to the Finals for the first time in history.

Turkiye were in control of the scoreboard during the first half of the first set, but thanks to too many unforced errors, they let the opponents ahead in the second half. The 25-21 set winner was hammered by Slovenia’s 21-year-old opposite Nik Mujanovic.

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While Turkiye greatly stepped up their blocking performance, their opposite Adis Lagumdzija and Slovenia’s outside hitter Rok Mozic engaged in a scoring race during a very even second set, which was pushed deep into overtime. Slovenia failed to convert as many as 10 set points, but on the 11^th, a Turkish attack into the net ended the set at 35-33 to double Slovenia’s lead in the match.

In set three, Turkiye managed to wipe out the five-point deficit they were facing at 19-14. Sub-in outside Gokcen Yuksel put in a tremendous effort, while Mozic and Mujanovic kept the fire burning on the other side of the net, as the set rolled in deep into overtime again. Slovenia reached match point at 24-23, but still had a lot of work ahead before the end of the match. This time, the Turks wasted as many as 11 set points of their own, before Slovenia finally managed to convert their fourth match point to a 39-37 close on a Mujanovic monster block.

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The main thing that tilted the outcome Slovenia’s way were the unforced errors. Turkiye committed as many as 28 of those against only 18 from the winners. Slovenia slightly outscored Turkiye in attack, by 58-56 in successful swings. Nik Mujanovic led the Slovenian blockers with three stuffs and the servers with two aces, while Rok Mozic emerged on top of the chart with a match-high 25 points, all in offense at a 58% success rate.

“It was like a five-set match. I said to the physical coach: ‘What is this – we are not even prepared for three sets?’ I was tired already in the third set,” Mozic told VBTV. “Turkiye didn’t give up. They played really, really well and we suffered a bit, but I am happy, because we did it! We won and this is the most important thing.”

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Turkiye outperformed Slovenia in both net defense by 14-11 in kill blocks and in serving by 3-2 in aces. Adis Lagumdzija was their most prolific scorer with 21 points, including one ace. Middle blocker Ahmet Tumer raised three kill blocks towards an 11-point finish. 22-year-old Gokcen Yuksel, who entered the game as a substitution during the third set, managed to reach the double digits with 10 points, including three stuffs. Outside Efe Bayram was the best blocker of the match with five points in net defense and also piled a 10-point tally.

“We did an amazing job from the first game in Canada until now, but we just finished this game and I am quite sad, because it could have gone both ways, but we made those silly mistakes, when we couldn’t put the ball down, when we had it. That’s what counted today,” said Lagumdzija. “I hope we learn from our mistakes and bring back better volleyball the next time we meet – in Europe in two months.”