World no. 14 Turkiye eyes another entry into the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIVB Men's World Championship after a victory over Libya in Pool G..
Turkiye moved on the cusp of qualifying for the next phase of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship after staving off Libya in four sets, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14, 25-16, in Pool G action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Monday.
Turkiye, who is coming off of a program-best finish in 2022 at 11th place, secured all six points so far with a clean 2-0 record.
The win didn’t come without challenge though, as Libya showed flashes of brilliance in set 2.
Libya seized a 23-19 lead late in the second set after a crucial error from Turkish star Efe Mandiraci.
Even as Turkiye ralied to save three set points thanks to the offense of Mandiraci himself, an ill-timed service error doomed the comeback and gave Libya its first set win of the tournament — marking a significant milestone for the team returning to Worlds for the first time in over four decades.
Despite Libya's spirited effort in set 2, Turkiye’s experience shone through in the following sets as Libya was unable to threaten their foes anymore.
In set 3, Turkiye bounced back with an emphatic lopsided set win, 25-14, needing only 23 minutes to regain control of the match.
Then in the fourth, Turkiye restored full order with a dominant finish.
Mandiraci paced Turkiye as one of four players in double digit scoring with 16 points built off of 11 attacks, one block, and four aces.
Ahmed Ikhbayri paced Libya in the losing effort with 19 points.
Turkiye (2-0) eyes a Pool G sweep and a guaranteed spot in the next round, facing Canada on Wednesday, September 17, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at 2:00 p.m.
Libya (0-2), meanwhile, who is the brink of falling out of contention, will gun for its first win against fan favorite Japan also on Wednesday at the Big Dome.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.