italy edges Türkiye to win second volleyball women's World Championship title

BANGKOK, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Italy outlasted world No. 3 Türkiye on Sunday to win its second FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship title.

Paola Ogechi Egonu led the way with 22 points, while Myriam Fatime Sylla and Ekaterina Antropova added 19 and 14 respectively as the reigning Olympic champion claimed a 25-23, 13-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-8 victory. It was Italy's first world title since 2002 and extended its winning streak in international competitions to 36 matches.

"It's very difficult to win the World Championship after we won the Olympics last year, because all the teams want to beat Italy. It's their dream," said Italy head coach Julio Velasco. "But we also have a dream - to win this World Championship after the Olympics. This group of players always give their best in training, so I am very proud of them."

Trailing 6-4 in the tiebreaker, Italy staged a decisive 5-1 run capped by a double block against Ebrar Karakurt to surge ahead 9-7. Eda Erdem briefly pulled one back for Türkiye, but Italy responded with six straight points to seal the win.

"We stopped competing," said Türkiye's Italian head coach Daniele Santarelli. "The only regret is that when we were 6-4 in the tiebreaker, we started to get nervous. We didn't attack in a smart way. Today I'm a little sad because I wanted to play our best volleyball until the end. The only regret is that at the end, we really thought the match was in their hands. It's a good lesson for us."

Melissa Teresa Vargas scored a match-high 33 points for Türkiye, which achieved its best-ever finish at a World Championship.

The opening set was tightly contested, with Italy overturning a 22-20 deficit by scoring four straight points to take it 25-23. Türkiye roared back in the second, racing into an 8-2 lead and cruising to a 25-13 win despite Velasco bringing on Antropova for the struggling Egonu.

Italy regained control in the third set, building an early 11-6 advantage before Türkiye rallied to go 21-20 ahead. Italy answered with four points in a row for set point at 24-21, only for Vargas to spearhead a late surge to tie it 24-24. Egonu then delivered with a smash and an ace to put Italy 2-1 up.

Türkiye again forced a decider with a strong 25-19 win in the fourth, powered by Vargas' spiking and serving, but Italy held firm in the fifth to clinch the championship.