Türkiye rally from 2 sets down to edge Germany in 5-set thriller at Women’s VNL

Türkiye's national women's volleyball team came from two sets down to defeat Germany 3-2 in their third match of the second week of the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on Saturday.

Germany made a strong start to the match and capitalized on Türkiye's service errors to build a 12-8 lead in the opening set. Maintaining control throughout, the Germans claimed the set 25-18 to take a 1-0 advantage.

The second set began with both teams trading points before effective serving from Melissa Vargas helped Türkiye move ahead 6-3. The Turkish side extended the gap to six points at 14-8 through strong blocking and attacks from the middle. However, Germany fought back through Lina Alsmeier, Camilla Weitzel and Cekulaev, leveling the score at 19-19. In a closely contested finish, Germany edged the set 26-24 to move within one set of victory.

Türkiye responded in the third set. After a balanced opening, the Turkish side pulled away thanks to key points from Ilkin Aydin and secured the set 25-19 to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

The fourth set was another tight battle. Germany took a 15-14 lead through Cekulaev, but Türkiye capitalized on their opponents' mistakes and relied on the performances of Vargas and Ilkin Aydin to win the set 25-22 and force a deciding fifth set.

Carrying the momentum into the final set, Türkiye produced a stronger overall display and sealed a hard-fought 15-13 victory to complete the comeback and claim the match 3-2.

The result gave Türkiye their fifth win of the VNL season, while Germany suffered their fifth defeat.