Slovenia advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League after defeating Türkiye 3-0 in a hard-fought quarterfinal in China.
Although the match ended in straight sets, it lasted more than two hours and featured two marathon sets that stretched deep into overtime. Slovenia claimed victory 25-21, 35-33, 39-37 to reach the VNL semifinals for the third consecutive year and the fourth time overall. They will face either Poland or Ukraine in Saturday’s semifinal.
Türkiye, appearing in the VNL Finals for the first time in its history, pushed Slovenia to the limit throughout the match but was ultimately undone by 28 unforced errors, compared to Slovenia’s 18.
After recovering from an early deficit to take the opening set 25-21, Slovenia survived a tense second set in which they converted their 11th set point for a 35-33 win. The third set proved even more dramatic, with Türkiye erasing a five-point deficit before Slovenia finally sealed the match 39-37 on their fourth match point.
Rok Možič led Slovenia with a match-high 25 points, while Nik Mujanović added 19 points, including three blocks and two aces. Sašo Štalekar contributed nine points.
Türkiye held the edge in blocking (14-11) and aces (3-2), but Slovenia finished with a slight advantage in attacks (58-56). Adis Lagumdzija led the Turkish scoring with 21 points, while Ahmet Tümer added 11. Gökçen Yüksel and Efe Bayram each finished with 10 points.
Following the victory, Slovenia head coach Fabio Soli praised his team’s composure in key moments, while Možič admitted the match “felt like a five-setter” because of the intensity and length of the final two sets.
For Türkiye, the defeat ended a historic tournament after the nation reached the Volleyball Nations League Finals for the first time.
Result
2026 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League – Quarterfinal
Slovenia def. Türkiye 3-0 (25-21, 35-33, 39-37)