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As WorldofVolley reported, Türkiye shut out Serbia in straight sets on Saturday to advance to the gold-medal match of the 2026 CEV Women's European Volleyball Championship.

The final scores were 25-20, 25-19, 25-20, all played at Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul in front of a home crowd.

Opposite Melissa Vargas led all scorers with 18 points, while middle blockers Eda Erdem and Zehra Gunes contributed 11 apiece. Serbia's most dangerous attacker, opposite Tijana Boskovic, was largely contained and finished with 12 points.

Outside hitter Aleksandra Uzelac added 11 for Serbia.

How Türkiye Controlled the Match

Türkiye built an early cushion in Set 1, stretching a narrow lead to a commanding margin after Serbia burned two timeouts trying to slow the momentum. Serbia pulled within two points at 21-19, but the hosts closed it out firmly.

The second set opened with Türkiye jumping to an 8-3 lead, forcing Serbia to call time early. Serbia trimmed the gap to 11-9, prompting a Türkiye timeout in response. The hosts regained their composure and pulled away to win 25-19.

Set 3 was decisive from the opening rally. Türkiye went up 7-2 before Serbia called their second timeout of the set. Despite a Serbia push that brought the score to 21-18, Türkiye held on to close it out, with a Serbian attack that struck the antenna ending the contest.

Statistical Edge

Türkiye dominated the service game, recording six aces to Serbia's none. They also won the blocking battle 10-7 and posted superior reception numbers. The efficiency gap was consistent across all three sets.

What It Means Beyond the Medal

The semifinal result carries implications beyond the European title. According to the FIVB, all four EuroVolley semifinalists earned berths in the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup in Canada and the United States.

Italy already held a qualifying spot as the 2025 World Championship winner, so Serbia, Poland and Türkiye each locked up one of the three continental slots by reaching the semis.

The new European champion will also secure a place in the women's volleyball event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Türkiye entered the tournament as Volleyball Nations League 2026 winners and arrived at this stage as silver medalists at the 2025 World Championship.

They advanced through the knockout rounds by sweeping Azerbaijan in the round of 16 before defeating Germany 3-1 in the quarterfinals, a match that drew more than 12,000 spectators at Sinan Erdem.

Sunday's Final in Istanbul

Türkiye will meet the winner of Saturday evening's second semifinal between Italy and Poland. Türkiye Today reported that the gold-medal match is set for Sunday in Istanbul.

Italy are the reigning world champions; Poland went undefeated through the pool phase and defeated the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. Serbia will compete in the bronze-medal match.