We left behind a season full of excitement and high intensity. The 2023-2024 volleyball season was thrilling both for our country and the world. The long season at the club level featured significant moments not only in the Turkish league arena but also on the international stage. One notable development this season was the absence of Turkish teams in the CEV Cup and Champions League finals.
The CEV Cup and Champions League, among the most prestigious volleyball tournaments in Europe and eagerly followed each year, hold special significance for Turkey. Knowing that Turkish volleyball achieved its prominent position internationally through past successes in these tournaments adds to the excitement of these matches.
In the CEV Women’s Champions League, the most important European volleyball organization at the club level, Turkey was represented by three teams this season. VakıfBank, the champion of the last two seasons, was eliminated in the quarter-finals, while Fenerbahçe Opet and Eczacıbaşı Dynavit were knocked out in the semi-finals.
Imoco, which eliminated Giovanni Guidetti’s VakıfBank in the quarter-finals, faced Eczacıbaşı Dynavit in the semi-finals. Despite Fenerbahçe Opet winning 3-1 against Vero Volley Milano in the second leg of the CEV Champions League semi-finals after losing 3-0 in the first leg, they were eliminated due to losing the golden set. Meanwhile, Eczacıbaşı, which lost 3-1 to the Italian representative in the second match of the semi-finals with scores of 17-25, 15-25, 26-24, and 16-25, also bid farewell to the 2024 CEV Champions League in the semi-finals.
In the Super Final of the tournament, Italy’s A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano faced Allianz Vero Volley Milano. In the match hosted by Turkey, Imoco Conegliano defeated its opponent 3-2 to become the champion. Santarelli, who also coaches Turkey’s National Women’s Volleyball Team, saw his Imoco team achieve 41 consecutive victories.
VNL CHAMPIONS ON THE 2024 STAGE
As the absence of Turkish teams in the CEV Cup and Champions League finals was a disappointment, attention and hearts turned to the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL). The first week of the VNL, organized by the FIVB, will be hosted in Antalya.
The Sultans of the Net, the last VNL champions, will open the season with the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL), which consists of three legs, each featuring four matches per week. In the first leg, they will compete against Japan, the Netherlands, Italy, and France in Antalya from May 14-19. In the second leg, they will play in the USA from May 28 to June 2, and in the final leg, they will compete in China from June 11-16. Teams ranked in the top 8 after three weeks will qualify for the finals.
Additionally, the FIVB announced daily roster updates during the organization, suggesting that the VNL will be viewed as preparation for planning the roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics and that analyses in this direction will be valuable.
“They will want to beat us, but it will not be easy.”
We ended the national team season with the Sultans of the Net and Daniele Santarelli’s 22-match unbeaten streak, Volleyball Nations League championship, European Volleyball Championship, and a ticket to Paris 2024. Before the VNL and Paris 2024, Santarelli commented, “This summer will be very tough for us because everyone will be waiting for us, we are currently ranked first. They will want to beat us, but it will not be easy. I promise… What we did last summer was good, maybe we will have to do more this summer because if we want to deserve the first place, we need to work hard.”