Captain Güneş aims for fourth #CLVolleyW title in home Final Four

She is one of the top middle blockers in the world and she won the CEV Champions League Women three times, being one of the few active players with such a resume. But every business end of the European premium competitions brings Zehra Güneş butterflies in her stomach.

Coming through the youth ranks of VakifBank, Güneş slowly evolved from a promising player, with loads of potential, into the captain of the Turkish side, a role she has been promoted to for the first time in the current season.

Since 2017, when she became a full-time player for VakifBank, after playing one season for Beşiktaş, Güneş has been instrumental in her team’s success, with three of the six Champions League trophies won by VakifBank linked instrinsically to her name, securing the title in 2018, 2022 and 2023.

But Güneş, one of the most popular players in the world, with four million followers on her Instagram account, always says she is hungry for more.

“I can say that all the team, all these women are amazing. And I am proud to be their captain. And every time I am telling and I will tell every time again. The connection in the team is so good, everybody is communicating well, this is the reason why we are doing so well on the court,” says Güneş before the showdown against Savino Del Bene Scandicci in the second semi-final of this Final Four.

For starters, this season has been different for VakifBank. Always dubbed as the powerhouse, they were considered as an underdog for a long stint, due to missing out on the semi-finals last season and a complete overhaul of the team.

But the new players brought in, such as Marina Markova, Yuan Xinyue or Kiera Van Ryk delivered excellent performances and saw the Turkish side qualify for the Final Four, after a dramatic comeback against rivals Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul in the quarter-finals.

VakifBank lost the first match, 0:3, and the first set in the second leg, only to win the next three, push the doubleheader into the golden set and secure the 15:11 win which shocked Fenerbahçe. 

This meant that VakifBank are no pushovers anymore – if they ever were – and they are a force to be reckoned with once again, aiming for a record seventh title in the CEV Champions League Women.

“We have a target each time, this team wants to add more trophies to their cabinet. Last year, we were not here, we were eliminated in the quarter-finals, therefore we are even hungrier to win the trophy and celebrate with our fans,” adds Güneş. 

Of course, their morale has been certainly boosted last week by delivering three wins in three matches against Fenerbahçe to win the Turkish league, therefore VakifBank look like the real deal, despite meeting Scandicci in the semi-final, a team which has not lost so far in the CEV Champions League Women this season.

“I'm proud of my teammates and I hope that we can continue this performance, what we did in the Turkish League,” says Güneş.

So far, VakifBank have won six matches and lost two in the Champions League, but as the only Turkish side in the Final Four in Istanbul, which incidentally will be played in  Fenerbahçe’s arena, could be consider as a small advantage.

“I'm so happy to be in Istanbul and hosting this amazing Final Four here.(I think it will be an amazing and a spectacular experience for every player and also for the Turkish fans. And I'm so excited because it's my first Final Four as a captain, which means a lot to me,” concludes Güneş.