Turkey: Out to get it right on second Olympic try

In just their second ever Olympic appearance, Turkey are aiming high at the Tokyo Olympics and are also probably under a lot of pressure as the country's sole representative in team sports at this year's Games.

Despite beating both Serbia and Korea in pool play at London 2012, Turkey failed to make it through to the quarterfinals in their Olympic debut.

But two from Turkey's 2012 Olympic squad, Naz Aydemir Akyol and Eda Erdem, are back again this year to give it another shot at making the last eight.

Turkey need to ride on the momentum of their bronze medal at the Volleyball Nations League last month in Rimini.

They suffered a fairly heavy loss to eventual gold medallists USA in the semifinals at Rimini, but bounced back the very next day for a very convincing win over Japan in the bronze medal match.

Erdem, the overall top blocker of the 2021 VNL, will have a leading part to play in Tokyo, not only as a middle blocker but also as captain of the side - a role she is most successful in. Erdem, who stuffed her opponents 46 times in 17 matches was the only player outside the two finalists of USA and Brazil to make it on the VNL Dream Team.

A lot, however, will also depend on the consistency of opposite Ebrar Karakurt, on whom Turkey relies so much to keep the points coming in. The 21-year-old was second best scorer overall at the VNL (behind Belgium's Britt Herbots) but not quite as consistent as would be necessary to take Turkey past China, USA, Russia, Italy and Argentina in pool play and into the quarterfinals.

Turkey are already in Japan, where they'll train at Fukaya before moving to Tokyo.

Watch what Eda, Naz and Meliha Ismailoglu said on-camera at a Media Day event at the Burhan Felek just before the team departed for Japan ahead of the Olympic Games.

Full Olympic roster for Turkey, under Italian head coach Giovanni Guidetti:

● Setters: Naz Aydemir, Cansu Ozbay

● Opposites: Meryem Boz, Ebrar Karakurt

● Outside hitters: Meliha Ismailoglu, Hande Baladin, Seyma Ercan, Tugba Senoglu

● Middle blockers: Eda Erdem, Zehra Gunes, Kubra Akman

● Libero: Simge Akoz