Turkey claimed a dramatic victory at the Women’s European Volleyball Championship after beating Serbia in five sets in the gold-medal match.
In an encounter that swung one way and then the other at the Paleis 12 in Brussels in Belgium, Turkey recovered from being two sets to one down to win 3-2.
Both teams scored 170 points during a match that lasted two hours and 21 minutes with Serbia edging into the lead after taking set one 27-25.
Turkey bounced back to level the contest after winning set two 25-21, before Serbia moved in front again by winning set three 25-22.
Turkey won set four by the same scoreline to set up a decider, which they won 15-13 to win the title for the first time in the tournament’s history in front of a crowd of 10,688 spectators.
Turkey’s Melissa Teressa Vargas, who delivered a scintillating performance in the final, amassing an astonishing 41 points.
Her stellar play earned her the title of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition, further cementing her status as a star in the world of volleyball.
For Serbia it was a second successive runners-up finish, after they lost to Italy in the final during the 2021 edition.
Earlier in the day, the Netherlands won the bronze medals after a straight games win over co-hosts Italy as they triumphed 25-23, 28-26, 25-20.
The tournament was co-hosted by four countries – Belgium, Estonia, Germany and Italy, with the Italians finishing the highest of these in fourth place.
Affectionately referred to as “the Sultans of the Net,” the team won the Volleyball Nations League championship in July in Arlington, Texas, and became the world’s top rated women’s national team, according to FIVB, the sport’s international governing body.