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Türkiye's women's volleyball team came from two sets down to beat Germany 3-2 on Saturday, claiming a dramatic five-set victory in the second week of the 2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League.
The match, played at a packed arena in Ankara, lasted two hours and 25 minutes and ended 18-25, 24-26, 25-19, 25-22, 15-13 in Türkiye's favor. The result was the Turkish team's fifth win of the league campaign, while Germany suffered its fifth loss.
Germany started strongly, capitalizing on Turkish errors in serve-receive to build an 12-8 lead, and closed out the opening set 25-18.
The visitors carried that momentum into the second set, falling behind 6-3 early as Türkiye's Melissa Vargas served effectively, but clawing back through strong play from Louisa Lippmann Weske, Anna-Lena Alsmeier and Anastasia Cekulaev to tie the score at 19-19. Germany edged the tight finish 26-24 to move 2-0 ahead.
Türkiye responded in the third set, with Ilkin Aydın extending the lead in the closing stages as the hosts won 25-19 to cut the deficit to 2-1. The fourth set followed a similar pattern of traded points, with Germany going ahead 15-14 on a Cekulaev point, before Türkiye capitalized on German errors, with Vargas and Aydın leading the way, to take the set 25-22 and force a decider.
Türkiye then won the fifth set 15-13, completing the comeback and sealing the 3-2 victory.
Türkiye head coach Daniele Santarelli said the team showed resolve after falling behind. He said he made substitutions to help the team and to give playing time to players who had not featured recently, adding, "Some moments we did a really great job, some moments we suffered a lot, but I told them we cannot think it's over."
He said the team's mentality was that the match is never lost until the final point hits the floor, and called it "a beautiful match against a great team."
Santarelli also credited the home crowd, describing the atmosphere as extraordinary and saying he was glad the team could deliver such a result for the fans in Ankara.
Outside hitter Eylul Akarcesme Yatgin echoed the sentiment, saying the team had prepared well but had not played the way it wanted in the first two sets.
She noted that Germany defended well at the net and said she was pleased the team fought back to win 3-2 rather than give up.
Türkiye is scheduled to play China next in the final match of the Ankara leg of the tournament. Santarelli said China would pose a difficult challenge, noting the team's strong hitters, technical play and depth even with younger players in its lineup.
He said Türkiye would need to perform better and start matches more strongly than it had against Germany.
Akarcesme Yatgin said the team would begin preparing for China immediately, and said the squad was hoping to finish the Ankara leg with four wins from four matches with the backing of the home crowd.
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