Türkiye Sweep Netherlands to Qualify for VNL Finals

The current European champions are the third team to secure a spot in the Finals, joining hosts Poland.

Türkiye, the winners of the 2023 Volleyball Nations League, have qualified for the Finals of the 2025 tournament. They will compete in Łódź, Poland, from July 23-27. Türkiye secured their spot among the top eight teams by defeating hosts the Netherlands 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-21) in Apeldoorn on Wednesday during the third week of VNL 2025. They now join Poland (hosts), Brazil, and Italy as confirmed participants.

This straight-sets win over the Netherlands marked Türkiye`s eighth victory in nine VNL matches, increasing their total points to 22 and lifting them to third place in the rankings. They are now mathematically guaranteed a spot in the Finals, beyond the reach of teams like Czechia, who currently sit outside the qualification spots with ten points from four wins.

Türkiye`s star opposite, Ebrar Karakurt, delivered a spectacular performance, leading all scorers with 21 points in the three sets (19 kills, one block, one ace). Opposite Melissa Vargas also contributed significantly with 13 points (ten kills, two blocks, one ace).

Tonight’s match was truly amazing. We enjoy playing in Apeldoorn thanks to the strong support from Turkish fans. The initial match is always challenging, and the Netherlands is a formidable opponent. Starting with a 3-0 win feels fantastic, and I hope we can maintain this momentum throughout the week.

— Ebrar Karakurt

For the Netherlands, opposite Elles Dambrink was their top scorer with 15 points (14 kills, one ace). Team captain Nika Daalderop, an outside hitter, added 11 points.

In other matches played in Apeldoorn on Wednesday, Serbia secured their first win of VNL 2025 by overcoming Czechia 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 28-26, 25-18), and Italy swept Belgium 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-18). Thursday`s schedule in Apeldoorn includes Italy vs Serbia at 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT) and Belgium vs the Netherlands at 20:30 (18:30 GMT).

Germany Tops Canada in Five-Set Thriller

In Arlington, the third week of competition began with a lengthy five-set match where Germany narrowly defeated Canada 3-2 (24-26, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 15-13), bringing them closer to securing a VNL Finals berth.

Germany currently holds sixth place with five wins (16 points) and controls their destiny regarding qualification for the Finals in Łódź. Canada, with two wins and seven points, faces a difficult path to qualify and is also near the relegation zone, ranking 15th out of the 18 teams in VNL 2025.

German outside hitter Lina Alsmeier was outstanding, scoring a team-high 26 points (25 kills, one block). Her teammate Lena Stigrot, also an outside hitter, added 14 points, all from kills.

I’m very proud of the entire team, and I’m very happy for how much we fought together for every point. I’m super happy, and it’s a big relief that we won this in five. Our main goal is to get to the Finals, and we have some exciting matches ahead of us still, but this victory was an important step in that direction.

— Lina Alsmeier

For Canada, 21-year-old opposite Anna Smrek was their leading scorer with 20 points (17 kills, two blocks, one ace). Middle blocker Nyadholi Thokbuom contributed 16 points, and outside hitter Abagayle Guezen scored 15.

Wednesday`s action in Arlington included two more matches: Dominican Republic against China at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT), and hosts United States playing Thailand at 19:30 (00:30 GMT, Thursday).

Thursday`s matches in Arlington feature Thailand versus Germany at 16:00 (21:00 GMT), followed by the USA versus Dominican Republic at 19:30 (00:30 GMT, Friday).