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Türkiye's women's volleyball team, nicknamed "Filenin Sultanlari" (Sultans of the Net), returned home on Sunday after winning the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) championship, defeating Brazil 3-1 in the final held in China's Macau Special Administrative Region.
Officials, journalists, and citizens carrying Turkish flags and flowers gathered at the airport to welcome the squad as the team's flight landed at Istanbul Airport.
Passengers and ground staff applauded as the team arrived with the championship trophy, accompanied by a band performing the national anthem.
Team captain Gizem Orge addressed the crowd following the arrival. “Being welcomed like this is truly wonderful,” she said.
“Every drop of sweat, every effort we gave for this country was worth this reception. Seeing the same excitement from our country on social media and television, seeing everyone celebrating with the same joy, seeing the same tears of happiness—it makes every effort worthwhile. We are very happy to return home with the trophy. Thank you, and hopefully there will be more titles to come.”
The win also gave Türkiye a measure of revenge over Brazil, which defeated the team in the bronze medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two sides met again two years later in the VNL final, where Türkiye reversed the result and claimed the title.
Türkiye has reached the VNL finals for eight consecutive years since the tournament's founding in 2018, and this win marks the country's second VNL championship.
The team previously won the title in 2023 by defeating China, and finished as runner-up in 2018 after a loss to the United States.
The result brings Türkiye's total VNL medal count to four—two gold, one silver and one bronze—placing it among the tournament's most successful teams.
Melissa Vargas, who finished the final with 33 points, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for her performance across the finals.
The medal ceremony took place at the East Asian Games Dome in Macau, where Polish volleyball player Michal Kubiak presented the gold medals to the winning team, and former Chinese national player Hui Ruoqi handed the championship trophy to captain Gizem Orge.
Coaching staff and players celebrated on the podium as the Turkish national anthem played.
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