Ziraat Bankkart Secures Third Place in CEV Champions League

Ziraat Bankkart Defeats PGE Projekt Varşova 3-2 in Third-Place Match

Ziraat Bankkart Volleyball Team secured third place in the 2026 CEV Men's Champions League by defeating PGE Projekt Varşova from Poland 3-2 in the third-place match.

The first set saw a close battle with scores tied at 15-15. Projekt Varşova, with Tillie scoring an "ace," managed a 19-16 lead and won the set 25-20. In the second set, Ziraat Bankkart took a 3-0 lead with strong blocks, but Projekt Varşova responded with a run of four consecutive points. Ziraat Bankkart, led by Nimir Abdelaziz, regained control and won the set 25-23, evening the score to 1-1.

In the third set, Projekt Varşova started strong with Firlej's serve, opening up a 4-1 lead. They extended their lead to 7 and then 8 points with contributions from Gomulka, Tillie, and Kochanowski. Despite making adjustments, Ziraat Bankkart could not stop Projekt Varşova's strong play, and the Polish team won the set 25-13, leading 2-1 in the match.

Ziraat Bankkart made changes to their setter and middle player for the fourth set. They took a 10-7 lead with Nimir's powerful spikes. Although Projekt Varşova tied the score at 21-21, Ziraat Bankkart won the set 25-23 and forced a final set.

In the final set, Ziraat Bankkart started well with a 5-3 and then a 7-4 lead. With Fornal's "ace," Ziraat Bankkart extended their lead to 4 points and won the set 15-11, securing the match and third place with a 3-2 victory.

Holland's setter Nimir Abdelaziz scored 36 points and played a leading role in Ziraat Bankkart's win.

Ziraat Bankkart, which reached the semifinals in 2024, finished in third place this year, securing Turkey's third medal in the competition. This follows Eczacıbaşı's third-place finish in 1980 and Halkbank's second-place finish in 2014.

PGE Projekt Varşova, making their first appearance in the top four in the Champions League, finished in fourth place.