Türkiye Rally Past Canada to Book VNL Semifinal Place
Türkiye came from one set down to defeat Canada 3-1 and advance to the 2026 Women’s VNL semifinals, led by a 27-point performance from Melissa Vargas.
Türkiye recovered from a first-set defeat to overcome Canada 3-1 and secure a place in the semifinals of the 2026 Women’s Volleyball Nations League in Macao. The fourth-ranked team in the FIVB World Ranking claimed a 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 victory to reach the VNL semifinals for the sixth time and the first time since 2023.
Canada started strongly behind the powerful attacking of Kiera Van Ryk, who helped her team take the opening set. Türkiye responded through Melissa Vargas, whose dominant display in the second set helped level the match before the European side erased a five-point deficit in the third to move ahead. Riding that momentum, Türkiye controlled the fourth set to seal the win.
Vargas finished with a match-high 27 points, including four aces, while Hande Baladin added 14 points. Zehra Güneş contributed 12 points with three blocks and two aces, and İlkin Aydın scored 11. Türkiye also held the edge in serving (8-5 aces), blocking (9-7) and committed only 12 unforced errors compared to Canada's 23.
Canada, making its first-ever VNL Finals appearance, received 27 points from Van Ryk, while Alexa Gray and Abagayle Guezen each added 14. Türkiye will face the winner of the United States–China quarterfinal in Saturday’s semifinals.
