Turkish Women's Volleyball Coach Blames Attack Errors After Loss to Poland

Daniele Santarelli, the head coach of the Turkish Women's National Volleyball Team, expressed disappointment following their 3-2 loss to Poland in the final match of Group A in the 2026 CEV Women's European Championship. He stated that the team began the match positively, playing a strong first set similar to their performance against Germany.

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I think we started well. I saw positive things in the team. We had a very good first set. We played well, like in the Germany match. I was very happy. Then things turned around. We made mistakes in attack. Against a team like Poland, you have to play much better.

However, Santarelli observed a shift in momentum after the initial success. "Then things turned around. We made mistakes in attack. Against a team like Poland, you have to play much better," he commented. The coach also noted that the team started playing with tension, which affected their performance, although they managed to make a comeback in the fourth set. Despite the effort, the fifth set did not go in their favor.

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Then we started playing with tension. We came back in the 4th set. But we were not good in the 5th set. I am sorry because I would have liked to continue our path in a more positive way.

"I am sorry because I would have liked to continue our path in a more positive way," Santarelli said. He emphasized that while the result is significant, the competition is far from over. The team's next challenge will be against Azerbaijan.

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The result is important, but everything is not over yet. Our opponent will now be Azerbaijan. We can't make many more mistakes.

Looking ahead, Santarelli highlighted the need to prepare thoroughly for Azerbaijan, acknowledging their experienced players. He also stressed the importance of self-improvement, stating, "We must also work on ourselves. We must be able to play against all teams in the world. We must keep our volleyball quality high and maintain balance."

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I need to work on our opponent Azerbaijan. I know they have expert players. They were playing at home in the group stage. Now they will come here. I need to study them completely. At the same time, we must work on ourselves. We must be able to play against all teams in the world. We must keep our volleyball quality high and maintain balance.