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Türkiye's national women's volleyball team defeated China 3-2 on Sunday in Ankara, closing out the second week of the 2026 FIVB Women's Nations League with a hard-fought five-set victory.
The match, which lasted 157 minutes, saw the two sides trade momentum across all five sets before Türkiye pulled away in the decider, 15-12.
Türkiye controlled the opening set, jumping out to a 12-8 lead before extending the gap to six points at 16-10 behind strong play from Melissa Vargas. China clawed back in the closing stretch, but Türkiye held on to take the set 25-21.
The hosts carried that momentum into the second set, again building a 16-10 advantage. This time, however, China capitalized on attacking and defensive errors from the Turkish side late in the set, rallying to win it 28-26 and level the match at 1-1.
China opened the third set aggressively, racing to a 9-3 lead. Vargas again proved effective for Türkiye, narrowing the gap to two points at 12-14, but China's defense held firm down the stretch, closing out the set 25-23 to move ahead 2-1.
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Facing a one-set deficit, Türkiye regrouped in the fourth set, jumping to a 14-9 lead. With China struggling on both ends of the court, Türkiye cruised to a 25-16 win, squaring the match at 2-2 and forcing a fifth and deciding set.
Türkiye closed out the match by taking the fifth set 15-12, securing the 3-2 victory.
Ahead of the match, Turkish Volleyball Federation president Mehmet Akif Ustundag presented flowers and a plaque to outside hitter Meliha Diken, who is departing the national team.
The match was officiated by Sinisa Ovuka of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Michail Koutsoulas of Greece.
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