Melis ready to Step Off the Court as Post SuperFinals Retirement is Confirmed

After spending almost her entire career with the giants from Vakifbank Istanbul, Turkish middle blocker Melis Gurkaynak confirmed she will retire after the CEV Champions League Volley SuperFinals set to take place on Sunday, 22 May in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana.

Watch the CEV Champions League Volley SuperFinals on EuroVolley.TV

Vakifbank Istanbul team captain, Melis and head coach Giovanni Guidetti joined the media meeting held today in Ljubljana to answer fan and journalist sent questions ahead of their SuperFinals match against longtime rivals, Imoco Volley Conegliano.

Asked about her plans to retire after this final match of the season, Melis talked about the importance of winning yet another trophy for the already packed trophy cabinet in Istanbul at the end of the season that has seen them succeed all other competitions they were involved in.

Her coach however wanted to address the question in saying “This is why she is a great aptain, she doesn’t like to talk about herself, but it will be very sad that this will be the last match for Melis inside the court. We believe she will stay close to us forever.”

The full video is available on our official YouTube channel European Volleyball.

Melis Gurkaynak has played a huge role in Vakifbank’s incredible success in the Turkish domestic competitions and in the CEV Champions League over the past decade. This will be Vakifbank’s eighth presence in the Final of the Champions League, an all-time record while also holding the joint record for most wins, tied with Volley Bergamo on four titles. A win in the SuperFinals will cement Melis’s legacy in the most successful team in history.