With two victories in as many Pool G matches and six points collected, the Turkish, who were 11th in the last edition of the tournament in 2022, are very close to returning to the Round of 16 - that could even happen on Wednesday, if Japan don't take all three points against Canada in the other match of the pool. With no points earned so far, Libya, on the other hand, need the Asians to beat the Canadians 3-0 or 3-1 to keep slim chances of advancing.
Middle blocker Bedirhan Bülbül, who had a solid all-around performance with 11 kills, three aces and two blocks, and star outside hitter Efe Mandıracı, who registered 11 kills, four aces and one block, led Türkiye with 16 points each. Opposite Adis Lagumdžija ended the match with 15 points, two more than outside hitter Gökçen Yüksel.
"We came in today knowing that this could be a difficult match after our big win against Japan," Bedirhan commented. "Our level dropped a little bit on the second set, but we regrouped after that and got back to playing at our usual level. We came here ready to play tough matches, and we want to keep going. We want to be first in the pool, and now we're in a good position to do it."
