The Yellow Tigers lost their opening match of the second week of the Volleyball Nations League against host nation Turkey. Facing the world’s number three team, Belgium showed strong resistance, particularly in the third set, but Turkey eventually claimed a straight-sets victory with scores of 25-14, 25-13 and 25-23.

Belgium started the match well and scored the opening point. Turkey quickly took control, however, and moved ahead 7-3. The Yellow Tigers stayed competitive and closed the gap to 11-8 before the home side created some separation again. Head coach Kris Vansnick called his first timeout at 13-8. At 15-11, Turkish middle blocker Aksoy was forced to leave the court with a knee injury. Turkey’s offense continued to fire thanks to Erkek and especially star player Melissa Vargas. Belgium struggled to cope with the Turkish serving pressure and attacking power. A second Belgian timeout at 18-11 could not change the momentum and Turkey comfortably secured the opening set 25-14.

The second set started evenly as well, but Turkey once again applied heavy pressure from the service line while maintaining a solid reception against Belgium’s serves. Vansnick called his first timeout at 10-6. The home team proved stronger in every aspect of the game and extended its lead to 16-8. A second timeout at 18-10 made little difference as Turkey continued to dominate and claimed the second set 25-13.

For the third set, Vansnick made several changes. Nagels replaced Van Sas, Deleu came in for Herbots, Koulberg replaced Lemmens and Radovic entered for Demeyer.

As in the previous sets, Belgium kept pace early on. Turkey opened up a small gap at 5-3, but a brilliant ace by Deleu tied the score at 5-5. After Turkey scored three consecutive points to make it 8-5, Belgium called a timeout. The Yellow Tigers remained within striking distance and reduced the deficit to 10-8.

Midway through the set, Deleu produced two consecutive aces to level the score at 13-13. Flore Maes also earned her very first cap for the national team and immediately made a positive impression. Belgium stayed fully in the contest and remained level at 14-14.

In the closing stages, the Tigers once again showed great character. Trailing 22-18, Belgium scored two straight points, forcing Turkey to call a timeout at 22-20. The Yellow Tigers even closed the gap to 23-22, but could not get any closer. Melissa Vargas finished the job for Turkey, taking the set 25-23 and securing a 3-0 victory.

Britt Herbots:

“Playing against a team like Turkey is always a difficult challenge, especially in such an incredible atmosphere. We knew it was going to be tough, but we kept fighting until the very end. Especially in the third set, we showed what we are capable of. It wasn’t our best performance and there are several areas where we can improve, but this young team has learned a lot again. We still have work to do to reach the level we showed last year, but I remain positive. We know what we need to work on and there are still many matches ahead of us.”

Kris Vansnick:

“After the second set, we deliberately gave several young players an opportunity and they immediately brought extra energy and service pressure. In the third set, we showed that we can compete with a team of this level. Being more courageous with our serving pressure can help us make life much more difficult for opponents like this. In the end, Turkey made the difference in the key moments through their quality and experience. Our ambitions do not change after this match. We will continue to fight for every point and keep improving. Tomorrow against Brazil, we will have another great opportunity to take another step forward.”

Played for Belgium: Van Sas (1), Herbots (3), Lemmens (3), Demeyer (3), Martin (11), Fransen (4) and Rampelberg.

Substitutes: Bertels (1), Radovic (4), Koulberg (3), Nagels (1), Deleu (4) and Maes (2).