VakıfBank Sports Club 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.
Lyubov Vladimirovna Sokolova is a retired Russian volleyball player, Honored Master of Sports of Russia. She was a member of the national team that won gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 World Championships in Japan, and silver medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Additionally, she’s the only volleyball player who has won 2 World titles in the same year: 2010 World Championship with Russia and 2010 World Club Championship with Fenerbahçe
Neslihan Demir is a retired Turkish volleyball star. She is one of the most successful athletes of Turkey and has been among FIVB Heroes. She represented her country as the flag bearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the official advertisement face of Turkey for the 2020 Summer Olympics candidateship along with basketballer Hedo Türkoğlu. She was a left-handed opposite hitter and won numerous individual awards in the international tournaments. She studied at Gazi University.
Aysun Özbek is a retired Turkish volleyball player. She is 185 cm tall and weighs 73 kg. Playing in the middle blocker position, she played for Vakıfbank Güneş Sigorta since 1996. She wore the number 5 jersey and was the team's captain.
Naz Aydemir Akyol is a Turkish volleyball player. She plays as setter for Eczacıbaşı Dynavit and the Turkey women's national volleyball team. She has won a total of nine Turkish League championships, four with Vakıfbank, three with Eczacıbaşı and two with Fenerbahçe. She has four CEV Champions League championships, winning three with Vakıfbank and one with Fenerbahçe. She also has three FIVB Club World Championship, winning two with Vakıfbank and one with Fenerbahçe. She was part of the Turkey national team at the 2012 and 2020 Summer Olympics.
Maja Ognjenović is a Serbian professional volleyball player of the Serbia women's national volleyball team. Ognjenović won gold with the national team at the 2018 World Championship, and the 2011/2019 edition of the European Championship, silver at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Christiane Fürst is a retired German female volleyball player. She plays for Turkish side Eczacıbaşı VitrA.
Jelena Nikolić-Nenadiċ is a retired Serbian professional volleyball player, playing as a wing-spiker. She was a member of the Women's National Team that won silver medal at the 2016 Olympics and gold medal at the 2011 European Championship in Serbia.
Nilay Karaağaç (born 24 October 1985 in Salihli, Manisa Province, Turkey, is a Turkish volleyball player. She is 179 cm tall and plays as setter. She plays for Galatasaray and wears jersey number 11. She played 124 times for the Turkey women's national volleyball team.
Güldeniz Önal Paşaoğlu is a Turkish volleyball player. She is 183 cm and plays as outside hitter.
Gizem Güreşen is a Turkish volleyball player. She is 1.76 m tall and plays as libero.
Carolina del Pilar Costagrande is an Argentine born professional volleyball player who became a naturalized Italian. She currently plays for Vakıfbank Spor Kulübü. She played for Argentina between 1999-02 and has played for the Italian national team since 2009.
Gözde Kırdar Bracceschi is a Turkish volleyball player that plays as outside hitter for Vakıfbank Spor Kulübü and the Turkish national team.
Özge Kırdar Kinasts is a Turkish volleyball player. She is 182 cm (72 in) and plays as setter. She currently plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal. She is regular national team player.
Bahar Toksoy Guidetti is a Turkish volleyball player. She plays as a middle blocker. She currently plays for Türk Hava Yolları SK. She plays for the Turkish national team.
Kübra Akman is a Turkish professional volleyball player.
Zhu Ting is a professional Chinese volleyball player. She is an outside hitter and former captain of the Chinese women's volleyball national team. She played for Vakıfbank Istanbul from 2016 to 2019. Currently, she plays for Italian club Savino del Bene Scandicci.
The CEV Champions League was the highest level of European club volleyball in the 2016–17 season and the 57th edition. The Turkish club VakıfBank Istanbul won its third title and qualified to the 2017 FIVB Club World Championship as European champion, besides being already invited by the FIVB, along with Eczacıbaşı VitrA and Voléro Zürich. The Italian club Imoco Volley Conegliano won the silver medal and Turkish Eczacıbaşı VitrA claimed the bronze medal. The Chinese Zhu Ting from VakıfBank Istanbul was awarded Most Valuable Player. Fourth placed club, Dinamo Moscow later received the last wild card to the Club World Championship by the FIVB.
The 2017 FIVB Women's Club World Championship was the 11th tournament. It was held for the first time at Kobe Green Arena in Kobe, Japan. Eight teams competed in the tournament, including four wild cards.
Beyza Arıcı is a Turkish professional volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Eczacıbaşı VitrA and the Turkish national team.
