Turkey will be making their sixth FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix appearance in 2016
Lausanne, Switzerland, March 25, 2016 – The FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix starts up again in June with the top 12 teams contending for a podium finish in Group 1 of the premier annual women’s tournament.
As anticipation builds ahead of the 2016 edition of the World Grand Prix, FIVB.com will preview the 12 teams set to participate in Group 1. In this second installment, we focus on European gems Turkey.
Turkey – Making a name in women’s volleyball
Turkey have had an impressive run in women’s volleyball in recent years. The team achieved their best result in the World Grand Prix in 2012, when they bagged the bronze medal behind powerhouses the United States and Brazil. In 2014, they vaulted from an eighth place finish in the previous edition to a Group 1 fourth place finish in their fourth year in the tournament.
Last year Turkey dropped to 11th place in the World Grand Prix as they lost seven of their nine preliminary round matches, but somehow managed to hold their grip and stay in Group 1 with a 3-2 (20-25, 28-25, 31-29, 14-25, 18-16) win over fellow Europeans Germany, and a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-20) win over the Dominican Republic.
The Turkish women’s team claimed a 3-2 win over Germany in their second-to-last match in the 2015 World Grand Prix Preliminary Round.
In the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Italy, Turkey finished in ninth place. Prior to that competition, they also took two silver medals and a bronze in the European League from 2009 to 2011, and another bronze medal at the European Championship in 2011. One of their proudest achievements came when they qualified for their first-ever Olympic Games in London in 2012, where they also caused upsets against Serbia and Korea.
The Turkish women's team are popularly known as Filenin Sultanlan, which means Sultans of the Net. Turkey have benefitted from the rise of a new generation of players who won bronze at the 2014 European Junior Championships. Turkey also ride high on the succes of their best clubs.
Player to watch – Polen Uslupehlivan
The addition of Polen Uslupehlivan to the Turkey roster fortified their presence in offence. Last year, Uslupehlivan led Turkey in almost all matches in the scoring category, adding some punch from the right-hand side.
The 25-year-old opposite from the southern Turkish city of Adana, racked her opponents’ defence with some forceful attacks. Her 1.92m frame certainly made her an intimidating player at the net and an instant point-bearer for the Turks.
Uslupehlivan joined the national team at the London 2012 Olympic Games and is a key player in the Turkish League. She played for Vakifbank Istanbul from 2008 to 2010, then transferred to Nilufer Belediyespor from 2010 to 2012. She returned to Vakifbank Istanbul in the 2012/2013 season and was a member of the team that won the 2013 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship title. She played for Vakifbank Istanbul until 2014, then transferred again to her current team, Fenerbahce.