Cedric Enard names 16 for Türkiye’s VNL debut

Türkiye’s new head coach, Frenchman Cedric Enard, will rely on 16 players for the country’s men’s Volleyball Nations League debut as they start preparations for the upcoming national team season.

As many as 13 of the 14 players, who propelled the team to the top of the 2023 Volleyball Challenger Cup podium under previous coach Alberto Giuliani, are named on Enard’s list. The only one missing is outside hitter Enes Atli.

The additional three athletes on the roster are setter Murat Yenipazar and outside hitters Efe Mandiraci and Yigit Gulmezoglu. The latter was on the squads that represented Türkiye at the team’s two most recent competitions, the 2023 CEV European Championship and the FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifier in Tokyo. Yenipazar and Mandiraci also had previous national team experience.

After winning the 2023 Volleyball Challenger Cup, Türkiye earned the right to compete in VNL 2024 for the first time in the history of the competition. Furthermore, they are hoping for a successful rookie season that would lift them in the FIVB Volleyball World Ranking up from the 14^th position they are occupying now and send them to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for yet another debut. The Turkish team also has EuroVolley 2026 qualifiers to play in late August.

On May 21, Türkiye will start their VNL 2024 campaign at home in Antalya, playing against Canada. They will also take on the Netherlands, France and the United States during the first competition week. Then, they will face Slovenia, Poland, Iran and Germany in Fukuoka, Japan, and finally, they will travel to Ljubljana, Slovenia for their matches against Bulgaria, Argentina, Serbia and Italy, hoping to qualify for the Finals in Lodz, Poland in late June.

The players selected will have to report to Ankara on April 28 for the start of the preparations. The team will also travel to Italy for a friendly tournament from May 10 to 14.

Türkiye men’s national team full roster (subject to eligibility check to be conducted by the FIVB):

Setters: Arda Bostan, Arslan Eksi, Murat Yenipazar
Opposites: Adis Lagumdzija, Kaan Gurbuz
Оutside hitters: Burutay Subasi, Efe Bayram, Efe Mandiraci, Mirza Lagumdzija, Yigit Gulmezoglu
Middle blockers: Bedirhan Bulbul, Faik Samet Gunes, Mert Matic, Vahit Emre Savas
Liberos: Berkay Bayraktar, Volkan Done

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