Match summary

VakifBank took the first two sets 25-20 and 25-21 before Eczacibasi fought back to win the third set 25-21. However, the defending champions regained control in the fourth set, sealing the match 25-18 to clinch the trophy. Eczacibasi, who reached the final after defeating Italy’s Savino Del Bene in the semifinals, were aiming for their second Champions League title, having last won in 2015. The final was the second all-Turkish showdown in Champions League history between the two sides; VakifBank also won their previous meeting in the 2022-2023 season.

Türkiye’s volleyball dominance

With both finalists from Türkiye, the country secured its 27th international club trophy in women’s volleyball, reinforcing its strong presence in global competitions. Turkish volleyball has seen a steady rise in recent years, with clubs like VakifBank, Eczacibasi, and Fenerbahce consistently competing for European honors. For Türkiye, which has faced economic and geopolitical challenges, the success of its women’s volleyball teams provides a source of national pride and positive international visibility.

The defending champions of the Volleyball Nations League won the match in four sets: 17 - 25, 25 - 15, 25 - 17, 25 - 18 at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

Outside hitters Hande Baladin and Ebrar Karakurt led Türkiye, scoring 17 points each. Melissa Vargas of Türkiye added 14 points in the win.

Opposite spiker Alondra Denis Tapia Cruz tallied 14 points for the Dominican Republic.

Türkiye have eight wins in 10 Nations League matches and are third in the preliminary phase standings led by Brazil that have won 10 matches.

The Dominican Republic are 11th in the table.

The Turkish team will next face China on Saturday in Hong Kong.

Hande Baladin rallied the Crescent Stars to victory with 14 points, while Ebrar Karakurt contributed with 12 points in Hong Kong.

Türkiye, the reigning champions, are placed fifth with seven wins and 21 points in the Preliminary Phase standings.

The Red and Whites will take on the Dominican Republic in the next pool 5 match on Thursday.

Turkish women's team won the final with the sets of 27-25, 21-25, 25-22, 22-25, 13-15 at Brussels' Palais 12.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Türkiye on winning the trophy.

The Crescent Stars reached finals for the third time in history by eliminating the reigning champions with 18-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-22, and 15-6 sets in the semifinal match.

Melissa Teresa Vargas rallied Türkiye, especially when she sparked the flame of Türkiye's comeback from behind with her effective spikes in the fourth set.

Vargas scored 26 points in the game, while Italy's Paola Ogechi Egonu played with 25 points.

In the final on Sunday, Türkiye will face the winner of the Netherlands-Serbia semifinal match being played on Friday.

The Crescent Stars beat Belgium with the sets 25-22, 16-25, 25-15, and 32-30 for six wins in six games.

Melissa Teresa Vargas led Türkiye to victory by adding 27 points, while her teammate Ebrar Karakurt contributed 20 at the Palais 12 in Brussels.

The quarterfinals will be held in the Italian city of Florence and Brussels, Belgium.

Brussels will also host the semifinals on Friday and the final on Sept. 3.

The Turkish National Volleyball Team won the final with sets of 13-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-22 and 9-15 in Doha, Qatar.

With this victory, Türkiye secured their place in the 2024 Volleyball Nations League.

The Turkish national team won the final clash with sets of 25-22, 22-25, 25-19 and 25-16 in Arlington in the US state of Texas.

The Turkish national team became the champions for the first time in the history of the FIVB Women's World Championship.

Meanwhile, Poland got the bronze medal after beating the US team with sets of 25-15, 16-25, 25-19, 18-25 and 17-15.

The Crescent Stars beat Ukraine with 14-25, 25-22, 26-24, 22-25, and 15-6 sets to clinch the trophy for the third time in their history.

Kaan Gurbuz led Türkiye with 19 points, while his teammate Efe Bayram contributed with 15 points.

Oleh Plotnytskyi scored 20 points for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Croatia finished the competition third by beating Czech Republic 3-0 in the 3rd-place match on Sunday.

Türkiye, with three titles, became the most successful team of the competition, which has been held since 2004.

The Crescent Stars lost to Italy 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22) in the final game of the 15th edition of the tournament in the Czech Republic.

Italy won its third gold medal, while the Red Whites missed the chance of bagging their second title so far.

Germany was awarded bronze medal, after beating Serbia 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-16) in the third place game held on the same day.

The reigning champions Russia, with five titles, is also the most successful nation in the Girls' Youth European Volleyball Championship -- held biannually and organized by the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV).

Türkiye won the Pool C match with sets of 26-24, 25-19, 19-25 and 25-21 at Salle Bir El Djir in the city of Oran.

Ilkin Aydin led Türkiye to victory, scoring 21 points.

Italy lost even though their player Binto Diop was the match’s highest scorer with 23 points.

In the third match, Türkiye will play against Spain on Tuesday to conclude the preliminary phase of the games.

Türkiye previously beat hosts Algeria 3-0 on Sunday.

The Crescent-Stars defeated South Korea with sets of 20-25, 25-13, 25-19 and 25-15 in the Pool 3 - Week 2 game.

Ebrar Karakurt led her team to victory with 17 points while her teammate Zehra Gunes contributed 15 points.

Türkiye placed seventh with 13 points while South Korea is at the bottom of the Preliminary Phase standings with zero points.

Canada will host Türkiye in a Pool 5 - Week 3 game on June 29.

The Crescent-Stars won the game with 27-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19 sets, and will take on Czech Republic in the final on Sunday.

Adis Lagumdzija led Türkiye to victory by scoring 24 points in the semifinal game.

The Red Whites, the most successful team in the organization's history with a total of six medals, will look for their third championship in the final, after winning the title twice, in 2019 and 2021.

Meanwhile, Croatia will play with Ukraine in the third-place game on Sunday.

The CEV Board of Administration also suspended all members of Russia and Belarus from their respective functions in CEV organs.

Since Russia's war on Ukraine began last Thursday, it has been met by outrage from the international community, with the EU, UK and US implementing a range of economic sanctions on Russia.

At least 136 civilians, including 13 children, have been killed and 400 others, including 26 children, injured in Ukraine, according to UN figures.

Nearly 680,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said Tuesday.

Serbia struggled against Turkey at the beginning but in the end came out on top, winning the match with 32-34, 28-26, 25-23, and 25-13 sets at Stark Arena in the capital Belgrade.

Serbia's Tijana Boskovic's 39 points were key for her team's victory.

The game marked the eighth victory for Serbia in 10 EuroVolley encounters with Turkey.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency after the game, Turkey captain Eda Erdem Dundar said: "We managed the first two sets well, but in the third set our service quality fell and they served and played better."

The 34-year-old added that they should now focus on the upcoming match. She also thanked Turkish fans for their support.

Serbia coach Zoran Terzic congratulated the Turkish team for their efforts in the "tough match."

Serbia on Saturday will take on Italy for gold, while Turkey's Sultans of the Net will face the Netherlands for bronze.

The Turkish team on Monday won against the Russian Olympic Committee 3-2 to come third in the Pool B and paired with South Korea from Pool A after a draw.

The quarterfinal match will be played on Wednesday at 0000GMT.

All quarterfinal matches will be held Wednesday.

- Last 8

Turkey - South Korea

USA - Dominican Republic

Serbia - Italy

Brazil - Russian Olympic Committee

Turkey sealed a 3-0 victory in Pool B against China by winning in straight sets, 21-25, 14-25, 14-25 at Ariake Arena.

Competing along with the US, Russian Olympic Committee, Italy, China, and Argentina in group stage, Turkey will face Italy in their second game on Tuesday.

The only thing it lacks is meat.

To coincide with Sunday's World Vegan Day, Britain's first permanent vegan butcher, Rudy's, is opening, set to sell meat-free versions of traditional products such as baycon, soysage and turk'y.

Demand for vegan products has surged in recent years in Britain, with increasing numbers of people cutting out animal-derived ingredients completely, while others reduce the amount of meat and dairy they consume each week.

"People understand what it is that we're selling," co-founder Matthew Foster told Reuters.

"It's all designed to emulate meat. It tastes like meat, it's got meat-like texture."

Law firm EMW reported a 128% jump in new trademarks registered for vegan food in the UK last year, with both large corporates and small companies registering such trademarks as vegan ice cream and pastries.

The team behind the new butchers started out in 2017 with a vegan diner and are now looking to offer goods, including whole dinner kits to be made in the home.

The substitutes, set out in the brightly lit shop with white walls and sketches of animals on the walls, are made from soya and seitan.

The surge in demand for alternative food products has recently sparked a debate over whether restaurants and shops should be allowed to label products as "veggie burgers" or "vegan sausages" or whether it can confuse the consumer.

Lawmakers in the European Union ruled earlier in October that banning such terms, as advocated by farmers, would discourage consumers from shifting to more plant-based diets.

Turkey beat Serbia 3-2 in the final to win the gold medal in the 27th edition of the competition.

The final game took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina's city of Zenica.

She was only able to play three games with the Italian volleyball team Lardini Filottrano after she left Turkish club Besiktas at the end of January.

The Italian volleyball league has been postponed like other sports events in the world amid coronavirus fears.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Monday, Cor said that she returned from Italy 20 days ago and did not have any problems.

"Italy was put under lockdown before I left. Then, I said to my agency that I want to return to Turkey. When the first case came out, it was not taken very seriously in Italy. We had a 10-day break at first. But the death toll increased very rapidly. It was my dream to play in Italy but was a short experience for me,'' she said.

The 24-year old player stressed that her place of stay was far from Northern Italy, where the first coronavirus cases were detected.

"When the cases were detected in Italy's north, I was there playing the game. The match was canceled that day and schools were closed. During this time, people did not stay at home. Authorities warned people through televisions, but they were not useful. Italians enjoy to have fun and go outside too much," Cor said.

She said that initially, authorities thought they can stop it by declaring the lockdown in Italy's north. But the number of coronavirus cases did not drop. “This decision did not work as well. Because the night before, the decision leaked to the public and everyone attempted to go elsewhere,” she added.

- League not canceled

Cor said that she still has a contract with the club but doesn't think the games will resume.

Reminding that Italy has been one of the most affected countries by the virus in the world, she stated that the league was not canceled yet but it is difficult to remain part of the rest of the league.

"When I joined the team, we were at the 10th place out of 14 teams. I have played three games after missing the first three matches. The league was postponed when we had to play key matches. There was no cancellation decision yet regarding the league matches. My contract continues, but I do not think the matches can be played," she said.

Cor wants to play again in Italy if there is an opportunity in the future.

''If an opportunity comes up, I would like to play in Italy for one more season. If I receive an offer from Turkey, I can stay here. I am currently following the process regarding the situation of the coronavirus.''

Since appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 183 countries and regions.

Data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections topped 1.28 million, with over 70,000 deaths.

Italy on Sunday reported 525 more deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 15,887.

*Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli

"I congratulate our Turkish women's volleyball team on beating Germany in CEV European qualification final," Erdogan said on Twitter.

Erdogan also wished his country success in the 2020 Olympic Games.

The eight teams are set to join the CEV Tokyo Volleyball European Qualification 2020 in the city of Apeldoorn.

Turkey, Netherlands, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland, Belgium, Croatia, and Azerbaijan will compete to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.

Only the winner team will secure their place in the women’s volleyball competition of the global tournament scheduled between July 24-Aug. 9.

The qualifiers will start with the pool phase, which crossed semifinals featuring the top two teams from each pool will follow. The winner-takes-it-all final is set for Jan. 12.

Turkey will face Germany, Belgium and Croatia in the Group B, while the Netherlands, Poland, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria will compete in the Group A.

Italy, Russia and Serbia already secured their participation in the 2020 Olympics.

VakifBank won three sets by 26-24, 25-23 and 25-21 to come third in Shaoxing, China.

Middle blocker of VakifBank, Zehra Gunes was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the third-place match.

VakifBank were the 2013, 2017 and 2018 FIVB Club world champions.

They won silver medal in 2011 and bronze in 2016.

The team won the sets 25-21, 26-24 and 25-19 in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana.

Belarus won the third set 25-20.

The victory enables Turkey to keep their hopes alive to qualify for the Round of 16.

The tournament is being co-hosted by France, Belgium, Slovenia and the Netherlands.

Turkey is clubbed in the poll with Belarus, Russia, Finland, North Macedonia and hosts Slovenia.

Top seed Serbia won the nail-biting final match against the tournament's host nation Turkey in the capital Ankara with the sets of 21-25, 25-21, 25-21, 22-25 and 15-13.

Turkey lost the final despite the huge support of Turkish fans at the Ankara Sports Hall.

So Turkey were given their silver medal after finishing the EuroVolley 2019 in the second spot.

World no. 12, Turkey had their best result in the 2003 European Championship as they had earned the silver medal.

Meanwhile Italy completed this tournament in the third place, returning home with bronze medal.

Italy beat Poland 3-0 with 25-23, 25-20, 26-24.

The host country reached the final in four sets, 25-17, 25-16, 14-25 and 25-18, at the semi-final match at Ankara Sports Hall in the Turkish capital with over 10,000 Turkish fans supporting their team.

Turkey will face Serbia in the tournament's final.

The final will be held in Ankara on Sunday.

Turkey has already clinched the last 16 phase, beating Bulgaria 3-1 on Monday.

With Wednesday's victory over France, Turkey won all four matches in the pool.

Turkey previously toppled Bulgaria 3-1, Greece 3-0 and Finland 3-2 in this championship.

Home team Turkey took the victory against France winning the sets by 25-19, 25-19 and 25-16.

Turkey will take on Serbia on Thursday as the Pool A games end.

With Monday's victory over Bulgaria, Turkey won all three matches in the pool.

Turkey previously toppled Greece 3-0 and Finland 3-2 in this championship.

Home team Turkey took the victory against Bulgaria in capital Ankara winning the sets by 25-21, 25-11 and 25-18.

Bulgaria won the third set 25-20 but it couldn't avoid the loss.

Turkey will face France in the next match at Ankara Sport Hall on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old player Bahar Toksoy Guidetti, who lifted many trophies during her career, is a co-founder of Bahar Toksoy Guidetti Academy with her husband, Giovanni Guidetti.

The first organization of the academy, summer camp, was set up at Nisantasi University's Maslak campus in Istanbul.

40 Turkish girls between the ages of 10 and 14 from various cities of Turkey attended the camp which will be ending on August 2.

The organization aims to contribute to the girls' physical development through volleyball trainings as well as being good athletes in the future.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in an interview, Bahar Toksoy Guidetti said she dreamed of establishing an academy with her husband, who currently manages both the Turkish National Women's Volleyball Team and Turkey's Vakifbank Women Volleyball club.

"I decided to take a step to realize my dream with my husband. We started to think about this project in a very comprehensive way. Our academy was established as a result of this dream. Everything is going very well. We are very happy," she said.

- 'We want to inspire our students to be successful in every aspect of life'

Guidetti said that the camp program includes volleyball trainings in addition to workshops about art, science and nature.

"We currently have 40 students who are divided into two groups during the program. While one of the group attend a training program, rest of the students participate in workshops. We have workshops on different topics including art, science and nature. We want to inspire our children not only for doing sports but to be successful in every aspect of life.

- 'We provide very pleasant environment'

She underlined that there are lots of children from different cities participating in the summer camp.

"Five children from Bitlis joined the summer camp as part of the "Sultans of Tomorrow" project. They currently train with us and benefit from this program. We told children that it is not important to know how to play volleyball here and you should just enjoy it. We provide a very pleasant environment. "

Guidetti stated that they will organize different events in the future as part of this academy.

"We want to establish new summer camps in other countries as well," she said.

Brazil earned their victory over Turkey with scores of 25-23, 25-15 and 25-10 to reach the tournament final.

After losing in the semifinal phase, Turkey will face the U.S. or China for the third-place match.

As Brazil is proceeding to the final, they are watching and waiting for the winner of the U.S.-China semifinal.

Both the final and third-place games will be held on Sunday.

Turkey men's national volleyball team has returned home on Sunday after winning the 2019 CEV Volleyball European Golden League title in Saturday's final against Belarus.

The team captain Arslan Eksi told press that they are "happy and proud" of winning the trophy, which is a historic triumph for Turkey.

Eksi reminded that they won all their eight games in this tournament including the group stage.

He added that they targeted the upcoming tournament, the FIVB Challenger Cup to be held in Slovenia as Turkey wants to bring this trophy to home.

Turkey won the 2019 CEV Volleyball European Golden League title on Saturday, beating Belarus 3-0 in final.

Turkey earned this victory as they led all three sets by 25-16, 25-21 and 25-19.

Both champions Turkey and runners-up Belarus bagged tickets each to qualify for the FIVB Challenger Cup to be held in July.

The FIVB Challenger Cup is an annual international tournament contested by six national teams including Turkey and will be held in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana from July 3 to 7.

In addition to Turkey and Belarus and the host nation Slovenia, Cuba from North America and African qualifier Egypt will be in this competition.

The last qualifier from Asian-South American Playoff is yet to be decided.

Turkey's team hosted Brazil in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Turkey, last year's silver medallists, outlasted Brazil 3-2 (25-23, 24-26, 25-20, 23-25, 16-14).

Both sides will join hosts China, defending champions the USA, along with Italy and Poland, in the Final Six of the competition on July 3-7 in Nanjing.

In the first game of the week 5, Turkey led the first set 27-25 in the capital Ankara.

However, visiting team Belgium made a comeback to earn the victory, winning the rest of the three sets 26-24, 25-21 and 25-23.

In the second game of the week 5, Turkey will face Italy on Wednesday.

Turkey has 10 wins and three losses in 13 matches in the Nations League.

Turkish team scored 29 points and is currently at the fifth spot in standings led by South American volleyball powerhouse Brazil with 31 points.

On the closing day of Week four of the tournament in Jiangmen, China, Turkey defeated Poland in 5 sets (22-25, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20, 15-12).

"Turkey's Ebrar Karakurt made the list of players to have scored 30 points or more in a single match," the FIVB said in their official website.

With 10 wins in 12 matches, Turkey reached 29 points in the tournament.

In their last three matches in the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League, Turkey will face Belgium on Tuesday, Italy on Wednesday and Brazil on Thursday.

Defeating Eczacibasi 3-0 in the match, Vakifbank won the finals series, 3-2, in the deciding Game 5 and became Turkish champions for the 11th time in the club's history.

Vakifbank won the sets 17-25, 18-25, and 21-25.

The Turkish team also ranks first in the world championships, with three gold medals.

Vakifbank was previously crowned winner of the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in 2013, 2017, and 2018.

Italy beat Galatasaray 3-0 in the first match of the final, and 2-3 in the second and final match.

Galatasaray should have won 3-0 or 3-1 against Trentino to take the game to the golden set for the CEV Cup winner title.

The Turkish club reigned supreme to retain the women’s volleyball title in the last two world championships.

Vakifbank was crowned the champion of the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in 2013, 2017 and 2018.

On Sunday, reigning world champion gained the gold medal in the 2018 championship in China.

Top clubs from each continent compete in FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship.

Turkish clubs have triumphed over their opponents six times to gain the world title in the tournament over the last nine years.

Turkey topped this year’s FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship by winning 6 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals in the tournament.

Vakifbank ranks first in the world championships with 3 gold medals.

After returning to Turkey from China, Vakifbank Director General Mehmet Emin Ozcan told reporters on Wednesday: "As an only club in the world, we won the world cup for three times in women volleyball. With a vision of being Turkey's leader bank, we have 946 branches in 81 cities in Turkey and in addition to representatives in foreign countries.”

"As a bank, we have been active in sports for the last 32 years and we are proud of being successful in women volleyball. Vakifbank women volleyball club became a volleyball legend in the world after winning 3 world championships, 4 European championships and 10 Turkish league champs in last 32 years," he added.

Vakifbank Sport Club President Osman Demren also said: "We are proud to became champions and our main goal is to represent our country in the best way possible."

"We gave high importance to club's youth setup. We have 14 players including 10 national players and 7 of them came from our youth setup. We are working with world's best staff for our youth setup. There is no other way for lasting success," Demren said.

"We thank Chinese volleyball fans who supported us during the championships in China," Demren added.

Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul, the 2015 and 2016 winners, beat Brazilian club Praia Clube 3-0 to claim third place in the championship.

Turkish club Vakifbank, the 2013 and 2017 winners, advanced to the tournament's final stage where this afternoon, Turkish time, they will take on Minas, another Brazilian team, for the gold.

In the semifinal match in Shaoxing, China, Vakifbank won the first two sets, both 25-21.

Praia narrowed the gap to 2-1 in the third set by winning 25-22.

Vakifbank bagged the final ticket by winning the fourth set 25-18.

Winners in 2013 and 2017, Vakifbank advanced to the tournament's final stage on Sunday where they will take on Minas, another Brazilian team, for the gold.

In the final on Saturday, Serbia beat Italy 3-2 and became the world champions.

This was Serbia's first ever Volleyball Women’s World Championship final, Italy won the title before in 2002.

Japan hosted the world’s best 24 teams in six different cities in the tournament between Sept. 29-Oct. 20.

In semi-final matches in Japan on Friday, Serbia defeated Netherlands 3-1 while Italy beat China 3-2.

Formula 1 fever to continue in US over weekend

According to a statement by Turkey's Volleyball Federation, the Turkish team -- dubbed "Filenin Sultanları" (Sultans of the Net) -- finished Pool F fifth after defeating Thailand.

Turkey -- competing in Pool F against the U.S., Russia, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Italy, China, and Bulgaria -- was eliminated after being defeated by the U.S. team on Monday.

Being ruled out from the third round, Turkey played their last match in the pool against Thailand.

Japan is hosting the world’s best 24 teams in six different cities in the tournament from Sept. 29-Oct. 20.

After the match, USA Head Coach Karch Kiraly said: "We had three spectacular battles with Turkey during Nations League and each of those three went to five sets, so we expected another very fierce battle today."

"We respect that team a lot and coach Giovanni Guidetti does a great job with them. Our game plan went well today and so we are happy with the result," Kiraly was quoted as saying by the tournament's official website.

Turkey's Captain Eda Erdem said US women "were much better than us in every position."

"Right now America are one of the best teams in the world. They play so fast and are really, really good. There is nothing much to say," she said.

Turkey's Coach Giovanni Guidetti said the team played "much better" than yesterday when the team fell to Russia 3-0.

"We tried to do something different on the court, but the difference between us and America is too big. We are not ready to fight at this level," he said.

Being ruled out from the third round, Turkey will play their last two matches against Azerbaijan and Thailand in Group F.

FIVB Women World Championships: Turkey falls to Russia

Japan hosts the world’s best 24 teams in six different cities during the tournament between Sept. 29-Oct. 20.

Dubbed "Filenin Sultanları" (Sultans of the Net), the Turkish team fell to Russia in the first match of the second round of the Group F which ended with a 0-3 score.

The next round of the Turkish national team in the second round of the Group F will be against the U.S. on Monday.

They claimed a straight 3-0 victory over France on Thursday, which was enough to finish on second position among the teams that were competing in Tirana, Albania.

In the group, Russia booked their spot in the semifinals by outclassing Germany 3-0 and helped Turkey to reach the semi-finals.

In the semi-final matches, Turkey will play against Italy while Russia will meet Poland.

The Vakifbank became the European champions for the second term in a row and fourth time in total at the Champions League in Europe.

The Turkish team led the game 1-0 by scoring 25-17 in the first round and maintained its lead 2-0 by 25-11 in the second set.

It also won the last set by 25-17 and clinched the victory, 3-0.

Turkish team heads to finals in top league

The Vakif team led the game 1-0 by scoring 25-22 in the first round and maintained its lead 2-0 by 25-21 in the second set.

The last two sets were won by the Italian team Imoco, when it scored 25-17 and 25-15, bringing the game score to 2-2.

In the final tie breaking game, Vakif team again took the lead from Imoco and won 3-2.

Vakifbank team has now advanced to the final which will be played on May 6 against the winner of CSM Volei Alba vs Galatasaray match, in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

The Turkish team has won the Champions League in 2011, 2013 and 2017.

Defeating Eczacibasi 3-0 in the match, Vakifbank won the finals series, 3-2, in the deciding Game 5 and became Turkish champions for the 10th time in the club's history.

Vakifbank won the sets 25-23, 25-23 and 25-20.

Chinese superstar Zhu Ting was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the finals series, adding another accolade to her great resume at only the age of 23.

Zhu Ting is the current World Cup, Olympic, World Club, and Grand Champions Cup gold medalist.

In Istanbul, Vakifbank won the game against Volero with a score of 3-0 at the second leg of the six team play-off.

Vakifbank also won the first match in Switzerland with the same score.

After the results, Vakifbank advanced to the final four, which will be played on May 5-6 in Romanian capital Bucharest.

The Turkish team had become champions in the Champions League in 2011, 2013 and 2017.

Galatasaray booked their place in the final four phase after the win as the Italian team previously won the first leg 3-2.

Galatasaray will meet Romania’s CSM Volei Alba Blaj in the final four to be held May 5-6 in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

Meanwhile, another Turkish team has reached the final four stage of the CEV Champions League.

Vakifbank advanced to the final four for the sixth time in a row Thursday after beating Swiss team Volero.

In Istanbul, Vakifbank won the game against Volero with a score of 3-0 in the second leg of the six-team playoff. Vakifbank also won the first match in Switzerland with the same score.

In the final four, Vakifbank will take on Italy's Imoco Volley.

Vakifbank won Champions League titles in 2011, 2013 and 2017.

The Turkish female team defeated Azerbaijan 3 sets to 1 to win the bronze medal.

After losing the first set 22-25, Turkey went on to claim the next three, 25-21, 25-14 and 25-8.

Serbia later defeated the Netherlands 3 set to 1 to win the tournament.

Serbia won on the first two sets 25-20 and 25-22, then lost the third 18-25, but bounced back to claim the fourth 25-18.

The 2017 Women's European Volleyball Championship was co-hosted by Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Turkey beat Russia 3-0 in the quarterfinal match in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.

The quot;red and whitesquot; won the first set with a score of 27-25, then the second set with 25-18, and the third 25-20.

The Turkish team will face Serbia in the semifinal game on Saturday.

The 2017 Women's European Volleyball Championship is co-hosted by Azerbaijan and Georgia and is due to continue through Sunday.

Azerbaijan ranked first with 75 gold, 50 silver and 37 bronze medals.

The Islamic Solidarity Games was first held in Saudi Arabia in 2005 with 6,000 athletes from 55 nations competing in 15 different sprts categories including taekwondo, swimming, shooting, athletics/para-athletics, weightlifting, wrestling and water polo.

Turkey is scheduled to host the fifth contest in 2021.

Turkish athletes have so far clinched 65 gold, 58 silver, and 49 bronze medals -- 172 medals in total -- in various categories such as taekwondo, swimming, shooting, athletics/para-athletics, weightlifting, wrestling, and water polo.

Host country Azerbaijan ranked second with 66 gold, 39 silver and 29 bronze medals -- 134 medals in total.

The competition will end on May 22.

The Islamic Solidarity Games was first held in Saudi Arabia in 2005 with 6,000 athletes from 55 nations competing in 15 different sports categories including taekwondo, swimming, shooting, athletics/para-athletics, weightlifting, wrestling and water polo.

Turkey is scheduled to host the fifth such contest in 2021.