Türkiye’s women’s national volleyball team defeated Belgium 3-0 on Wednesday in its opening match of the second week of the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL), extending its winning streak against the European side and delighting home fans in Ankara.
Led by the attacking power of Melissa Vargas, Türkiye took control early in the opening set, racing to an 8-4 lead. Strong blocking, including key contributions from middle blocker Sinead Jack Kısal, helped the hosts widen the gap and force Belgium into an early timeout. The Turkish side maintained its momentum to comfortably claim the first set 25-14.
The second set began evenly before Türkiye again seized control. Effective serving and a series of Belgian attacking errors allowed the home side to build a commanding advantage. Setter Elif Şahin played a key role in organizing the offense while contributing at the net, as Türkiye closed out the set 25-13.
Belgium offered more resistance in the third set and erased a deficit to level the score at 13-13 after Türkiye committed several errors in defense and on serve. However, Vargas delivered at crucial moments to restore Türkiye’s advantage, helping the team edge the set 25-23 and seal a 3-0 victory.
The win marked Türkiye’s third triumph of the 2026 VNL campaign, while Belgium suffered its third defeat.
The result also extended Türkiye’s dominance over Belgium, with the national team recording its sixth consecutive victory against the Red Dragons. The Turks have not lost to Belgium since 2019.
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