Turkey beats Brazil in thrilling VNL Finals showdown

[Photo: Renato Marques]

Turkey defeated Brazil in a tightly contested Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals clash yesterday, edging past their opponents in a dramatic four-set battle.

The Turks secured the win with set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 26-24 and 25-21, as both teams exchanged momentum throughout the match, which lasted 126 minutes. Turkey won 3-1 in front of 4,000 spectators.

Brazil pushed Turkey all the way in a high-intensity opening set, but Turkey delivered in the decisive moments to claim victory.

The victory followed Turkey’s win over China in the semifinals on July 25, keeping their title hopes alive in the VNL Finals.

Brazil, meanwhile, displayed strong resilience throughout the match, challenging Turkey with aggressive play and solid defense.

[Photo: Renato Marques]

In terms of statistics, both teams recorded 61 attacks each, while Turkey edged Brazil in blocks with 14 against 13 and were tied in serves with seven apiece.

Turkey also capitalized more on Brazil’s errors, scoring 17 points from opponent mistakes compared to Brazil’s 12, bringing Turkey’s total points to 99 against Brazil’s 93.

On the skills front, Brazil recorded slightly more digs with 84 to Turkey’s 83, while Brazil also led in receptions with 93 against Turkey’s 85 and sets with 142 compared to Turkey’s 133.

The best scorers for Turkey were opposite spiker Melissa Vargas with 33 points and outside hitter Hande Baladin with 19, while Brazil’s top performers were outside hitter Ana Cristina with 25 points and opposite spiker Rosamaria Montibeller with seven.

Italy wins bronze

Italy took third place in the women’s VNL Finals, recovering from a loss to Brazil in the semifinals to beat the host team China in four sets yesterday in front of 3,600 spectators.

The match lasted 117 minutes, and Italy won 3-1, with set scores of 25-16, 23-25, 25-22 and 25-13.

It was Italy’s first bronze medal in the tournament, adding to their three championship titles from previous years.

[Photo: Renato Marques]

China started slowly but found their rhythm in the second set. Outside hitter Zhuang Yushan helped her team level the match with some strong serves that directly scored points. China went on a five-point run to take a 17-13 lead, and although Italy fought back, an Italian player missed a serve, giving China the set 25-23.

In the third set, China took an early 3-0 lead, but Italy came back to go ahead 15-12 and later 17-13. China then scored four straight points to tie the match again, but Italy held a small lead at the end to win the set 25-22.

The fourth set was all Italy. They dominated in every aspect and won easily 25-13, with outside hitter Ekaterina Antropova scoring the final point.

“It wasn’t easy to recover from yesterday’s loss. We wanted to play in the final, but finishing third is still amazing and I’m really happy,” Antropova told VBTV.

Overall, Italy scored more points than China in attacks and serves, while also capitalizing more on China’s mistakes. China, however, performed better in blocking.