Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball


Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball, commonly known as Fenerbahçe, are the women's volleyball department of Fenerbahçe SK, a major Turkish multi-sport club based in Istanbul, Turkey. They play their matches at the 7.000-seated Burhan Felek Sport Hall. Fenerbahçe compete in the Turkish Women's Volleyball League, which is considered to be one of the best and most competitive leagues in the world.
Founded in 1928, Fenerbahçe are one of the best volleyball teams in Turkey and in the world. They were crowned World Champions by winning the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship undefeated in 2010, thus achieving the first Intercontinental Quadruple ever in Turkish volleyball history, after having won the Turkish League, Turkish Cup, and the Turkish Super Cup in 2010. Fenerbahçe became the first Turkish team to claim a World Championship title. After being runners-up in the CEV Champions League in 2010, Fenerbahçe finally were crowned European Champions in the 2011–12 season after defeating French powerhouse RC Cannes in three straight sets in the final game. The club also reached the third place of the Champions League twice, in the 2010–11 and 2015–16 seasons.
Fenerbahçe also won the CEV Cup by defeating Russia's Uralochka-NTMK Ekaterinburg 3–0 in the 2014 finals in front of their passionate home crowd, thus writing volleyball history as the men's team won another continental title, the CEV Challenge Cup, the very same day. By achieving this unparalleled feat, Fenerbahçe became the first and only sports club in Turkey and one of a few in Europe with European titles won in both the men's and women's volleyball departments.
In Turkey the club have won 13 Turkish Championship titles, 3 Turkish Cups, and a record 3 Turkish Super Cups, among others.

Previous names

The women's volleyball department was founded in 1928 by Sabiha Gürayman who, as a young woman, played for the club's men's volleyball team, and was the first woman architect in Turkey. However, the section was closed due to lack of opponents. In 1954, a new era started with assistance from Çamlıca Girls' High School. Starting in 1958, the girls won eight Turkish Championships among many other titles. In 1977, the department was closed again until 1989, this time due to insufficient funds. In 1993, the team was promoted from the Istanbul First League to the Turkish Second League. The following year, they played in the Turkish First League. However, they were relegated to the Turkish Second League in the 1995–96 season.
Fenerbahçe returned to the Turkish First League in the 2002–03 season, and were runners-up in the 2006–07 season. The senior team was renamed as Fenerbahçe Acıbadem due to a sponsorship agreement with the Acıbadem Healthcare Group from 2007 to 2011. The Yellow Angels were runners-up after Eczacıbaşı SK in the 2007–08 season, too. They gained the ninth Turkish title in their history in the 2008–09 season, after defeating their archrivals Eczacıbaşı SK in the finals, which was their first ever title in the league's current format that had started with the 1984–85 season.
Fenerbahçe's women's team shone in the 2009–10 season as the Yellow Angels finished the first round of the 2009–10 Turkish League undefeated in 22 matches, and reached the Final Four of the 2009–10 CEV Women's Champions League undefeated. The team then beat the host team RC Cannes in a thrilling five-setter, but eventually lost to Volley Bergamo in five sets in the final, even though they came back after falling two sets down: 22–25, 21–25, 25–22, 25–20, 9–15. Yekaterina Gamova was named the best scorer and Nataša Osmokrović was chosen the best server of the tournament.
The star-studded team of Fenerbahçe were on top of the world on 21 December 2010 in Doha, Qatar after beating South American titleholders Sollys Osasco 3–0 to become the first team in 16 years to claim the 2010 FIVB Women's Club World Championship where Katarzyna Skowrońska was named the MVP and Best Scorer, while Eda Erdem Dündar was the Best Server.
In 2011, Fenerbahçe SK organized the Champions League Final Four in the Burhan Felek Sports Hall in Istanbul, however, in the semi-final the Yellow Angels lost to Turkish rivals Vakıfbank in a heart-breaking five setter, and lost the chance to be the very first team in Turkish volleyball history to win the Champions League title. The Yellow Angels settled for the third place after beating Scavolini Pesaro in four sets, thanks to the national heroines Seda Tokatlıoğlu, Naz Aydemir and Eda Erdem Dündar.
In 2012 the club won the CEV Volleyball Champions League, which was organized in Baku on 24–25 March 2012, having defeated French powerhouse RC Cannes in the final in three straight sets. Kim won the MVP award and the Best Scorer award, while Naz Aydemir was named the Best Setter.

Honours

Worldwide competitions

''As of November 2019.
No.PlayerPositionDate of BirthHeight Country
1Melis YılmazLibero28 June 19971.67
2Aylin SarıoğluLibero21 July 19951.68
5Beliz BaşkırMiddle blocker26 December 19981.98
6Lila ŞengünSetter2 March 20021.86
7Cansu ÇetinWing spiker26 May 19931.83
8Dicle Nur BabatMiddle blocker15 October 19921.91
9Melissa VargasWing spiker16 October 19991.93
10Bianka BusaOutside Hitter25 July 19941.87
11Bahar ToksoyMiddle blocker6 February 19881.90
12Brankica MihajlovićOutside Hitter13 April 19911.90
14Eda Erdem Dündar Middle blocker22 June 19871.88
16İpar Özay KurtWing spiker10 November 20031.86
17Naz AydemirSetter14 August 19901.86
19Ceren KestirengözOpposite19 July 19931.94
20Gülce GüçtekinLibero10 October 20021.65

Season by season

Home halls

This is a list of the home halls the senior team played at in the recent years.
#HallPeriod
1Burhan Felek Sport Hall2004–2007
2Caferağa Sport Hall – Haldun Alagaş Sports Hall12007–2008
350th Anniversary Sport Hall2008–2010
4Burhan Felek Sports Hall2010–
5Ülker Sports Arena2015–

1 CEV Champions League games only.

Notable players

Domestic Players
European Players
Non-European Players
Players written in italic still play for the club.

Sponsorship and kit manufacturers

PeriodKit sponsors
2005–2006Century 211 – Merit Life 2 – Adahan Logistics4
2006–2007Acıbadem1 2 4
2007–2011Acıbadem1 2 3 4
2011–2012Universal1 3 4 – Bonus2
2012–2013none
2013Fenercell1 – Bonus2
2013Grundig1 3 – Bonus2
2013–2016Grundig1 – Bonus2 – Fenercell3
2016–Bonus2 – Barilla2 – Fenercell3

1 Main sponsorship
2 Back sponsorship
3 Lateral sponsorship
4 Short sponsorship
PeriodKit manufacturers
2000–:tr:Fenerium|Fenerium