Turkey defeated the Netherlands in straight sets on Sept. 4 in a bronze-medal game of the CEV Women’s EuroVolley.
Playing at the Stark Arena in Serbia’s capital Belgrade, the Turkish team beat the Netherlands with the sets 25-20, 25-19, and 25-23.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Vice President Fuat Oktay congratulated the team, known as the, Sultans of the net, for their victory.
“On behalf of all of Turkey, I would like to express my gratitude to the Sultans of the Net, who did not stop fighting until the last moment,” Erdoğan said on Twitter.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency after the game, Turkish player Ebrar Karakurt said they were very proud of their win.
Team captain Eda Erdem Dündar and players Hande Baladın and Cansu Özbay said they are happy to win the bronze medal.
“I’m really tired but I’m really happy, I’m really grateful for the incredible effort of these girls, for the incredible effort of this team, for the incredible effort of my staff,” said coach Giovanni Guidetti.
He added: “I really believe that these girls are an example, these girls are a role model for all of the women in Turkey.”
Turkish Volleyball Federation president Mehmet Akif Üstündağ thanked everyone who contributed to the success, congratulating the national team.
Hami Aksoy, who is Turkey’s ambassador to Serbia, said the team brought their country great happiness, adding that the Sultans deserved their medal.
The national team had also participated in the Tokyo Olympics, losing a heartbreaker match in quarter finals, thus dashing its medal hopes.
Its member Ebrar Karakurt had been the subject of homophobic slurs, after the posted her picture with a female friend in social media.