Turkiye mounted a stirring comeback from a set down to defeat Brazil 3-1 in the women's Volleyball Nations League final in Macao on Sunday, capturing their second VNL crown after their maiden triumph in 2023.
In front of 4,000 fans at the East Asian Games Dome, Daniele Santarelli's side rallied to win 23-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-21, consigning Brazil to their fifth silver medal in the competition. Italy had earlier taken bronze with a victory over China.
Melissa Vargas was the undoubted star of the show. The Turkish opposite hammered 33 points — the most ever scored by any player in a VNL final, across both genders — and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. She delivered 27 kills at a 51% success rate, added three aces and three blocks, and took over the match when it mattered most.
"I don't know how to put it in words! Really!" an elated and tearful Turkish captain and libero Gizem Orge told VBTV during the celebrations on court. "It was a really tough game and I want to congratulate Brazil. Their fight was incredible! I played with a really big pain in my knee… I am so proud of everyone. We did an amazing job!"
Brazil started strongly, with outside hitter Ana Cristina powering the South Americans to a 23-18 lead in the opening set before closing it out 25-23. But Vargas began to dominate in the second, delivering critical points in the closing stages as Turkiye levelled the match.
The third set was a see-saw affair, pushed to extra points before a spike out of bounds from Ana Cristina gave Turkiye a 26-24 win. The fourth followed a similar script: Turkiye built a six-point lead, Brazil clawed back to go 19-18 ahead, but Vargas and her team-mates regained control to seal the set 25-21 on a clever tip from setter Elif Sahin.
Turkiye's discipline proved decisive — they committed just 12 unforced errors to Brazil's 17, and edged the blocking count 14-13. Outside hitters Hande Baladin and Ilkin Aydin contributed 19 and 15 points respectively, while Ana Cristina led Brazil with 25 points, supported by Rosamaria Montibeller (19), Julia Bergmann (15) and Luzia da Silva Nezzo (11).
The win adds a second VNL title to Turkiye's collection, alongside their 2023 success and the silver they claimed in 2018.
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