Turkish women claim comeback win against Dutch in Olympic opener

PARIS

Turkish national women’s volleyball team came from two sets behind on July 29 to beat the Netherlands 3-2 (19-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13) to win its first match at the Paris Olympics.

Türkiye made a slow start to the match, losing the first two sets against a determined and dominant Dutch team.

The tide turned in the third set, with Melissa Vargas, who was the top scorer with 30 points, making her presence felt.

“We didn't start the match well. We didn't play our own game. We had 10 errors at the end of the first set,” Türkiye captain Eda Erdem said after the match.

“But slowly we tried to get into the game and came back in the third set. We were tired, it was a tough match. To come back from such a bad start to win shows how strong we are,” Erdem added, also congratulating her teammates and the Turkish supporters in the stands.

Ebrar Karakurt, whose points in the final set were critical, noted that the first games of major tournaments are always a challenge.

“And it was really a tough match today,” she said.

“All my teammates gave their best. We would have liked to play a more relaxed match, but it is also nice to win like this.”

Türkiye, which last lost 3-0 to the Netherlands in August 2018, extended its winning streak against the Dutch to nine games.

The Turkish women will face Dominican Republic in their second match of the group on Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. Türkiye time.

Meanwhile, Turkish Olympic shooters İlayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikeç qualified for the final in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team competition, guaranteeing Türkiye’s first-ever Olympic medal in the event. Tarhan and Dikeç will face the Serbian team on July 30 for gold.