Melissa Vargas will participate in the Nations League wearing Turkey's jersey

May 5, 2023

Cuban player Melissa Vargas was called up for the first time to be part of Turkey's national women's volleyball team.

The announcement was made as part of coach Daniele Santarelli's anticipated squad selection, who called up a total of 30 players for the season, which will begin in less than a month with the 2023 Volleyball Nations League.

Vargas, who has been playing in Turkish clubs since 2018 after being sanctioned by the Cuban Volleyball Federation, is now eligible to represent the national team after obtaining Turkish citizenship in 2021.

Her inclusion in the national squad has been highly anticipated and is expected to add depth to the team in its pursuit of qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The Cuban was a member of several clubs such as Agel Prostejov, in the Czech Republic, and Fenerbahçe Opet, in Turkey, where she has won several awards, including Best Server in the Chinese League and the Champions League. In 2021, she also played for the Porcelain Banco Tianjin Bohai team before returning to Fenerbahçe Opet.

In addition to Vargas's inclusion, Santarelli has brought back some familiar faces to the Turkish national team that were not used by his predecessor Giovanni Guidetti in recent years. Among them are middle blockers Kübra Akman and Aslı Kalaç, libero Gizem Örge, and outside hitter Neriman Özsoy.

Santarelli said that the 2023 Volleyball Nations League will be a great opportunity to get to know all the players and that he expects to use more than 20 of them during the tournament.

The Turkish team will begin the VNL at home, facing Korea, Serbia, Italy, and the United States in Antalya from May 30 to June 4. They will also compete in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the European Championship this year.