VakıfBank S.K.

VakıfBank Sports Club (Turkish: VakıfBank Spor Kulübü) is a Turkish professional volleyball club based in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 1986, VakıfBank SK is currently one of the best women's volleyball teams in the world, having won the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship a record four times and the European Champions League six times to date.^[1]

VakıfBank SK

Full name	VakıfBank Spor Kulübü
Short name	VakıfBank
Founded	1986
Ground	VakıfBank Sports Palace, Istanbul (Capacity: 2,000)
Chairman	Abdi Serdar Üstünsalih
Manager	Giovanni Guidetti
Captain	Zehra Güneş
League	Sultanlar Ligi CEV Champions League
Website	Club home page
Uniforms
Home Away
Championships
4 World Championships 6 European Championships 1 CEV Cup 1 CEV Challenge Cup 1 Top Volley International 13 Turkish Championships 9 Turkish Cups 5 Turkish Super Cups

From 23 October 2012 to 22 January 2014, the team held a 73-games winning streak in all official domestic and international competitions, which was acknowledged as a world record by Guinness World Records.^[2][3] The club won all 52 official games played during the 2012–13 season^[4] and all 51 official games played in 2013.^[5] VakıfBank collected all five championship trophies unbeaten in the 2012–13 season, being the only club in volleyball history to have achieved this unparalleled feat.^[2]

History

The team was established following a merger between two separate teams: VakıfBank and Güneş Sigorta.^[1] VakıfBank were originally an Ankara-based team but moved to Istanbul after the merger. Their name changed to VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta, VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta Türk Telekom (VGSTT), VakıfBank Türk Telekom and VakıfBank respectively.^[6]

VakıfBank won three unbeaten^{[citation needed]} CEV Champions League championships in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2018, and are the only unbeaten champions in European Champions League history. They also placed second in 1998 and 1999 in this competition. They won the 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2021 Club World Championship, the CEV Top Teams Cup in 2004 and CEV Challenge Cup in 2008 while finishing second in the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in 2011 and third in the European Confederation Cup of 2000.^[7]

The team is coached by Italian Giovanni Guidetti since 2008. VakıfBank won 47 games of 47 in the 2012–13 season in all competitions including the European Champions League (12 games), Turkish League (29 games), and Turkish Cup (6 games). After that season, they kept most of the players and coaching staff for the 2013–14 season with little changes: Jelena Nikolic, who took a break volleyball for one year, came back to the team^{[citation needed]} and Italian international Carolina Costagrande transfers from Chinese club Guangdong Evergrande V.C. instead of Polish spiker Malgorzata Glinka and Japanese Saori Kimura.^{[citation needed]} Glinka left the team after three great seasons and moved to her home country for familial reasons.^{[citation needed]}

From 23 October 2012 to 22 January 2014, VakıfBank won 73 consecutive victories in all official competitions, which was acknowledged as a world record by Guinness World Records. During this feat the team won an unprecedented 5 trophies including the Club World Championship, European Champions League, and the domestic treble consisting of the Turkish National League, Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup. Their streak was finally ended on 27 January 2014 in a game against rivals Fenerbahçe.^[2]

Venue

Since 2016, the club has played home matches at the VakıfBank Sports Palace (Turkish: VakıfBank Spor Sarayı) in Istanbul. The venue has a capacity of 2,000 spectators.^[8]

Current roster

VakıfBank S.K. is one of the best women's volleyball teams in the world, having won the FIVB World Championship four times and the CEV Champions Cup six times.

VakifBank S.K. for season 2024/2025.

No.	Player	Date of birth	Height (m)	Position	Country
1	Ali Frantti	3 March 1996	1.85	Outside hitter	United States
3	Cansu Özbay	17 October 1996	1.82	Setter	Turkey
4	Ilayda Naz Gergef	2 January 2006	1.74	Libero	Turkey
5	Ayça Aykaç	27 February 1996	1.76	Libero	Turkey
7	Kiera Van Ryk	6 January 1999	1.88	Opposite hitter	Canada
9	Caterina Bosetti	2 February 1994	1.80	Outside Hitter	Italy
10	Kendall Kipp	12 December 2000	1.98	Opposite hitter	United States
11	Sıla Çalışkan	16 December 1996	1.83	Setter	Turkey
12	Yuan Xinyue	21 December 1996	2.03	Middle Blocker	China
15	Deniz Uyanık	25 June 2001	1.95	Middle blocker	Turkey
16	Aylin Sarıoğlu	21 July 1995	1.68	Libero	Turkey
17	Derya Cebecioğlu	24 October 2000	1.82	Outside hitter	Turkey
18	Zehra Güneş (c)	7 July 1999	1.97	Middle blocker	Turkey
21	Bahar Akbay	21 January 1998	1.96	Middle blocker	Turkey
22	Selin Yener	28 July 2009	1.77	Setter	Turkey
23	Marina Markova	27 January 2001	1.99	Outside hitter	Russia

Honours

International competitions

• FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship
  • Winners (4): 2013, 2017, 2018, 2021
  • Runners-up (3): 2011, 2022, 2023
  • Third place (2): 2016, 2019
• CEV Champions League
  • Winners (6): 2010–11, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (5): 1998, 1999, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2020–21
  • Third place (1): 2014–15
• CEV Cup
  • Winners (1): 2004
• CEV Challenge Cup
  • Winners (1): 2008
• Women's Top Volley International
  • Winners (1): 2008

Domestic competitions

• Turkish Women's Volleyball League
  • Winners (13): 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
• Turkish Cup
  • Winners (9): 1995, 1997, 1998, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
• Turkish Super Cup
  • Winners (5): 2013, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2023
  • Runners-up (5): 2010, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022

Season by season

Season	League	Pos.	Turkish Cup	Turkish Super Cup	European competitions		Worldwide competitions
2015–16	TWVL	1st		Runners-up	CEV Champions League	Runners-up	FIVB Women's CWC
2016–17	TWVL	3rd	Runners-up		CEV Champions League	C	FIVB Women's CWC	3rd
2017–18	TWVL	1st	Champions	Champions	CEV Champions League	C	FIVB Women's CWC	C
2018–19	TWVL	1st	3rd	Runners-up	CEV Champions League	3rd	FIVB Women's CWC	C
2019–20	TWVL			Runners-up	CEV Champions League		FIVB Women's CWC	C
2020–21	TWVL	1st	Champions	Runners-up	CEV Champions League	RU
2021–22	TWVL	1st	Champions	Champions	CEV Champions League	C	FIVB Women's CWC	C
2022–23	TWVL			Runners-up	CEV Champions League		FIVB Women's CWC	RU

Previous names

• 1986–1999: Güneş Sigorta
• 1999–2009: VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta
• 2009–2011: VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta Türk Telekom
• 2011–2012: VakıfBank Türk Telekom
• 2012–present: VakıfBank

Notable players

Criteria
To appear in this section a player must have either: Played at least one season for the club. Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club. Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time. To perform very successfully during period in the club or at later/previous stages of her career.

Domestic Players  Turkey Hülya Cömert (1998-2000) Neslihan Demir (2002–2006/2008–2010) Naz Aydemir Akyol (2012–2018) Polen Uslupehlivan (2008–2010/2012–2014) Arzu Göllü (2007–2010) Özge Kırdar Çemberci (2008–2012) Gözde Kırdar Sonsırma (2010–2018) Nilay Özdemir (2009–2012) Elif Ağca Öner (2001–2007/2008–2009) Gizem Güreşen (2009–2015) Bahar Toksoy (2007–2015) Ergül Avcı (2011–2013) Aysun Özbek (1996–2008) Güldeniz Önal (2008–2015) Ebrar Karakurt (2016–2020) Meliha İsmailoğlu (2019–2021) Gizem Örge (2013–2021) Gözde Yılmaz (2019–2021) Tuğba Şenoğlu (2013-15/2017-18/2020-22) Sıla Çalışkan (2012-2015/2025-) Kübra Akman (2013-2023) Ayça Altıntaş (2014-2019/2020-) Zehra Güneş (2017-) Aylin Sarıoğlu Acar (2021-) Cansu Özbay (2016-) Buket Gülübay (2016-2019/2021-2023) Karmen Aksoy (2021-2022/2023-2024) Alexia Căruțașu (2022-2024) Bahar Akbay (2022-) Idil Naz Başcan (2023-2024) Zeynep Sude Demirel (2023-2024) Deniz Uyanık (2024-)

Non-Domestic European Players  Bulgaria Elitsa Vasileva (2014–2015)  Croatia Maja Poljak (2009–2011)  France Kinga Maculewicz (2008–2010)  Germany Sylvia Roll (2007–2008) Angelina Grün (2008–2009) Christiane Fürst (2011–2014)  Netherlands Debby Stam (2009–2010) Robin de Kruijf (2014–2016) Anne Buijs (2015–2016) Lonneke Slöetjes (2015–2019) Nika Daalderop (2022–2023) Sarah Van Aalen (2022-2023)  Italy Carolina Costagrande (2013–2015) Paola Egonu (2022–2023) Caterina Bosetti (2024-)  Poland Małgorzata Glinka-Mogentale (2010–2013)  Russia Yuliya Svistina (2001–2002) Nadezhda Shopova (2001–2002) Marina Markova (2024-)  Serbia Jelena Nikolić (2008–2012/2013–2014) Jovana Brakočević (2012–2014) Milena Rašić (2014–2021) Maja Ognjenović (2019–2021) Bianka Buša (2023-2024)  Sweden Isabelle Haak (2019–2022)

Non-European Players  Dominican Republic Annerys Vargas (2007–2008)  Brazil Hilma Caldeira (1999–2002) Marcia Fu (1999–2000) Tatiana Alves Dos Santos (2005–2006) Nikolle Del Rio Correa (2006–2007) Sheilla Castro (2014–2016) Gabriela Guimarães (2019–2024)  Canada Kiera Van Ryk (2024-)  China Pan Wenli (2001–2002) Zhu Ting (2016–2019) Yuan Xinyue (2024-)  Japan Saori Kimura (2012–2013)  United States Kimberly Hill (2015–2017) Kelsey Robinson (2017–2019) Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (2019–2021) Chiaka Ogbogu (2020–2024) Kara Bajema (2022–2023) Alexandra Frantti (2023-) Jordan Thompson (2023-2024) Kendall Kipp (2024-)

Players written in italic still play for the club.

See also

• Turkey women's national volleyball team
• Turkish women in sports
• Perfect season#Volleyball
• VakıfBank

References

1. "Tarihçe [History]". vakifbanksporkulubu.com (in Turkish). VakıfBank SK. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
2. "Most consecutive volleyball victories in all competitions (female)". guinnessworldrecords.com. Guinness World Records. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
3. "Vakıfbank 73 yaptı çeyrek finale kaldı". Fanatik (in Turkish). 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
4. "Genel Fikstür". Turkish Volleyball Federation (in Turkish). 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
5. "Genel Fikstür". Turkish Volleyball Federation (in Turkish). 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
6. "Yeni isimleri Vakıfbank Türk Telekom oldu". hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Hürriyet. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
7. Historic achievements of Vakıfbank Güneş Sigorta women's volleyball team
8. "VakifBank unveil their new state-of-the-art home at VakıfBank Spor Sarayı". CEV. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017.

External links

• Official website