By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Turkiye made history in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship after turning back Netherlands, 27-29, 25-23, 25-16, 25-19, to barge into the quarterfinals on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Turkish leaned on its solid blocking on their way to their first Final 8 appearance, with Mirza Lagumdzija, Bedirhan Bulbul and Marko Matic combining for nine of the team’s 12 blocks against only five from the Dutch.
Adis Lagumdzija exploded for Turkiye anew, leading the team’s scoring assault with 29 points including 25 kills, Ramazan Mandiraci fired 11 attacks to finish with 15 points.
With the victory, the Turkish arranged a tough quarters meeting with 2022 runner-up and world No. 1 Poland, which bucked a second-set hiccup to edge Canada, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14.
The Polish took advantage of the Canadians’ erratic plays, getting 35 points off their errors, to bolster their title campaign.
Kamil Semeniuk and skipper Bartosz Kurek paced Poland with 18 and 15 points, respectively, while Wilfredo Leon chipped in 14 points.
