In the opening matches of the women’s volleyball tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday, two top contenders, Brazil and Türkiye, secured their first wins in contrasting styles at South Paris Arena 1.
Brazil, ranked second in the FIVB World Rankings, demonstrated their dominance by defeating Kenya 3-0 with set scores of 25-14, 25-13, and 25-12. With this result, Brazil shares the top spot in Pool B with Poland, who won against Japan on Sunday. Kenya and Japan remain at the bottom of the standings without points.
Key performers for Brazil included Rosamaria Montibeller and Ana Carolina ‘Carol’ da Silva, who each scored 13 points. Thaisa Menezes added 11 points, contributing seven kills and four blocks. Kenya’s leading scorer was Pamella Owino with seven points.
Türkiye, on the other hand, had a more dramatic start. Despite trailing 2-0 against the Netherlands, the Turkish team staged a remarkable comeback to win 3-2 with set scores of 19-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22, and 15-12. This victory prevents an early upset and places Türkiye in second place in Pool C, just behind Italy and ahead of the Netherlands. The Dominican Republic is currently at the bottom of the pool.
Melissa Vargas played a pivotal role in Türkiye’s comeback, scoring 30 points, including 29 kills. Captain Eda Erdem and Hande Baladin each contributed 12 points. The Dutch team showed strong performance with Jolien Knollema and Nika Daalderop each scoring 15 points, and Juliet Lohuis adding 13 points.
