Turkey claims unexpected win over USA
LINCOLN, United States, May 16, 2018 - Zehra Gunes’ defensive
masterclass led Turkey to a stunning upset of the United States
in the Volleyball Nations League, as the heavily-favored hosts
went down in a 3-2 thriller (28-26, 25-19, 20-25, 24-26, 16-14).
Zehra Gunes came up with eight huge blocks as Turkey dug deep to
withstand a furious American fightback and send the world
champions tumbling to an unexpected defeat in front of their own
fans in Nebraska.
Meryem Boz was also in top form, piling on 15 attacks of her 17
points tally as Turkey, with 11 rookies in its squad, held its
nerve to overcome one of the most powerful teams in world
volleyball. Seyma Ercan, Eda Erdem and Gunes each contributed 16
points to the win and Melija Ismailoglu added 13 or her own.
Captain Jordan Larson spent most of the first two sets on the
bench but spearheaded the USA revival after the hosts went 2-0
down. However, it was not enough to see off the visitors, who
grew in confidence throughout and now have two straight VNL
victories to begin their campaign. Kim Hill collected 15 kills
and 19 points total for Karch Kiraly’s Americans. Tetori Dixon
and Lauren Gibbenmeyer had 12 points apiece for the defeated
team. |