In a dramatic Volleyball Nations League match in Apeldoorn, rookie team Czechia pulled off a major upset, defeating reigning European champions Türkiye despite a record-breaking 25-4 loss in the third set. The victory keeps Czechia`s hopes alive for reaching the Finals.
Czechia, playing in their first Volleyball Nations League season, achieved their most significant win yet in Apeldoorn on Friday. This crucial victory against Türkiye ensures they remain in contention for a spot in the tournament`s Finals.
Defeating the reigning European champions, who are ranked third globally, would have been a remarkable achievement on its own. However, the Czechs made the victory even more astonishing by recovering after losing the third set by an unprecedented 25-4 score. The final score was 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 4-25, 25-20) at Omnisport Apeldoorn, making it arguably the biggest upset of this VNL edition.
Ranked 13th in the world, Czechia faced immense pressure, needing a win against Türkiye to keep their qualification hopes alive. Earning these three points moves them just outside the qualification spots, to ninth place in the VNL standings with five wins and 13 points. They still have two matches left. Türkiye, already qualified, sits fifth with eight wins and 22 points.
After demonstrating impressive consistency and composure in the initial two sets, the Czech team faltered severely in the third. They quickly fell behind 9-0 and struggled to regain their form, trailing 16-1 and 20-3 before Türkiye finalized the set with a dominating 25-4 score, setting a new record for the largest margin of victory in a single set in VNL history.
Opposite hitter Monika Brancuská was the key player in Czechia`s fantastic triumph, leading the offense with 21 points (19 kills, one block, one ace).
Brancuská shared her excitement, “It was an incredible match, I don’t even know what to say. I’m full of emotions because we didn’t really expect this. We fought for every ball and I’m really happy that we made it. This team is amazing, and I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
Middle blocker Magdaléna Jehlářová also contributed significantly with 13 points (seven kills, six blocks). Team captain and outside hitter Michaela Mlejnková added 12 points (ten kills, two blocks), playing crucial roles in the unexpected outcome.
For Türkiye, opposite hitters Melissa Vargas and Ebrar Karakurt each scored 15 points. Outside hitter Saliha Şahin also reached double digits with 11 points (nine kills, two blocks).
Middle blocker Sinead Jack-Kısal, playing her first match for the Turkish national team, commented, “We made a lot of mistakes today and we could never recover from it. And it’s never easy to play against a team that defends so well. We have to learn from this, but we have two more matches ahead of us and we have to continue to fight.”
Serbia Secures Win Against Belgium
In the day`s opening match in Apeldoorn, reigning world champions Serbia defeated Belgium in straight sets (26-24, 25-19, 25-16), further improving their position in the standings.
Upcoming matches on Saturday include Czechia vs. Netherlands at 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT) and Türkiye vs. Italy at 19:00 (17:00 GMT).
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick