Volleyball

Türkiye completes clean sweep of BVA zonal qualifiers for U16 European Championships

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Article Mon, Jan 20 2025

The U16 men’s national team of Türkiye has qualified for the final stage of #EuroVolleyU16M scheduled for later this year in Armenia after securing four victories in as many matches in the zonal qualifier organised by the Balkan Volleyball Association (BVA) in Alanya. Türkiye topped the standing to progress directly to the final stage. Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia followed in this order and will continue their journey in the second round of European qualifiers scheduled for April.

Türkiye delighted their home fans at the U16 Men BVA qualifier held in Alanya

On the last day of competition, Greece defeated Romania and finished the event in second place with a record of three wins and one loss. Bulgaria had to be content with third place after losing to hosts Türkiye – thereby finishing on two wins and two losses. Romania ranked fourth with one win and three losses. Serbia ended the tournament without a single victory.

On Sunday, Greece beat Romania 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21). The best player of the match was Emmanouil Outzis with 19 points, followed by his teammates Nikolaos Pachakis with 18 and Stefanos Pachiadakis (16). For Romania, Alexandru Gabriel Apostu scored 18 points.

Türkiye finished the competition on a high note courtesy of their comprehensive 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-20) victory over Bulgaria. Atilla Selim Köse set the pace for the home side with 12 points, while Bulgaria’s Ivaylo Kolev and Milko Bagdasarov scored eight times each. 

Türkiye were just as dominant also at the U16 BVA women's qualifier in Sofia

The U16 women’s national team of Türkiye emulated their colleagues by securing a place in the final round of #U16EuroVolleyW after finishing the first round of qualifications in Sofia undefeated. Serbia claimed second place, followed by Montenegro and Bulgaria, with Romania and Greece next. These teams will all play in the second round of qualifications in April. The Final Round is scheduled for later in the summer in Albania and Kosovo. 

On the last day of the event in the Bulgarian capital, Serbia beat Romania, Montenegro defeated Greece, and Türkiye had the upper hand over hosts Bulgaria. Serbia triumphed over Romania in straight sets (25-21, 29-27, 25-17). Andjelija Tadić was the most efficient player for Serbia scoring 17 points, while Bianca Gabriela Cucu was the top scorer for Romania with 18 to her name. 

Montenegro secured their third win in the event, defeating Greece 25-18, 25-14, 25-21. Klara Djukic from Montenegro was the best player of the match with 15 points, while Theodora Lekaki scored 13 times for Greece.

The BVA zonal qualifier in Sofia concluded with the matchup between Bulgaria and Türkiye, where the visitors claimed a 3-1 victory (24-26, 25-16, 25-17, 25-21). Ecrin Selis Türkyasar helped the winners with 21 points, while Gabriela Pekova was the top scorer for Bulgaria with 11 points.

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