Türkiye finish strong and claim first victory

Reigning European champions Türkiye delivered a strong performance on Saturday to start their campaign at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship with a solid victory over continental rivals Spain in Pool E.

Playing in Nakhon Ratchasima, the team coached by Daniele Santarelli dominated the first two sets and powered through at the end of the third to beat the Spanish 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-23) and take their first three points in the tournament.

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Playing her first World Championship match, Yaprak Erkek led the Turkish offense with 15 points (11 kills, two blocks, two aces), ranking higher than star opposite Melissa Vargas, who added 14 (ten kills, two blocks, two aces), and fellow outside hitter Ebrar Karakurt, who contributed 12 (ten kills, one block, one ace).

“We knew that this would be a very difficult match because they serve very well and have a really fast offense,” middle blocker Zehra Güneş reflected. “It was difficult for us to adjust because they have a good team and their setter (Patricia Aranda Munoz) was excellent today. I’m happy with our team. Starting a tournament is always difficult, but we put a good effort on the court and were able to bring a lot of what we practiced to the game. I hope we can continue to give our best on the court and achieve our goal.”

Outside hitter Ana Escamilla was Spain’s most prolific player, registering 13 points (all in kills), while middle blocker Lucía Varela got to double digits with ten (seven kills, two aces, one block).

“We had very clear ideas for today’s match and we knew that we’d need to play good defense and hit high to score on them,” Escamilla said. “Against this kind of team, we wouldn’t be able to win the match with tips. It’s amazing for us to be here. We fought a lot for our spot, and I think we deserve to be here.”

Türkiye were better than Spain in every statistical category, outscoring their rivals in kills (43 to 37), blocks (seven to three) and aces (six to five) – they also made fewer errors (16 to 18).

Canada secure key win against Bulgaria

Also triumphing in their opening match in Nakhon Ratchasima were Canada, who topped Bulgaria 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18) and came out on top in a match that could be pivotal to determine which teams will advance to the next round.

Outside hitter Andrea Mitrovic had a strong offensive presence for the Canadians, scoring a team-high 17 points (16 kills, one ace). Middle blocker Nyadholi Thokbuom and opposite Anna Smrek also performed well, adding 15 and 12 points respectively.

Opposite Mikaela Stoyanova led the Bulgarian efforts with 15 points (12 kills, two blocks, one ace), followed by middle blocker Nasya Dimitrova, who contributed ten.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship: full schedule and results

The four teams will be back in action on Monday, when Canada start the day against Spain at 16:00 local time (9:00 GMT) and Türkiye meet European rivals Bulgaria at 19:30 (12:30 GMT).

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