Galatasaray HDI Istanbul opened CEV Champions League campaign with a gritty five-set win over Belgium’s Knack Roeselare, pulling out a 3–2 victory after more than two hours of back-and-forth volleyball.
Galatasaray controlled the first set, but Roeselare responded by taking the next two behind strong serving from Basil Dermaux and efficient hitting from Erik Siksna. The hosts steadied themselves in the fourth, capitalizing on Roeselare’s errors before middle blocker Ahmet Tümer sealed the set with a block to force a tie-break.
The deciding set swung both ways, with Galatasaray moving ahead 12–9 and Roeselare rallying to tie it at 13–13. Tümer again delivered in the clutch, scoring the final two points to close out a 15–13 win.
Canada’s Stephen Maar earned MVP honors after leading all scorers with 26 points, including three aces. Dermaux paced Roeselare with 24 points and six aces.