Naz Aydemir


Naz Aydemir Akyol is a Turkish volleyball player, widely regarded as one of the best setters in international volleyball. She is 186 cm tall and plays as setter for Fenerbahçe and the Turkey women's national volleyball team. She has won two league championships with Fenerbahçe and three with Eczacıbaşı Zentiva. She also has two CEV Champions League championships, winning the 2011–2012 edition with Fenerbahçe and the 2012–2013 edition with Vakıfbank.

Career

She has played more than 200 times for all levels of the Turkish national team. She achieved an unprecedented record by playing in the CEV Euro Volley Championship Quarter Finals 10 times in a row. She has played for the senior level club volleyball since the 2004–05 season. She was the captain of the youth national team of Turkey who won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championship. In the 2008 edition of the Junior European Championship, she led the Turkish team to a bronze medal and won the Most Valuable Player award for the tournament. In the 2011-12 edition and 2012-13 edition of the CEV Champions League, Aydemir won the Best Setter award consecutively and the competition championships, with her clubs Fenerbahçe and Vakıfbank Spor Kulübü.
Aydemir won her first FIVB Women's Club World Championship gold medal at the 2010 Club World Championship. Fenerbahçe was the first Turkish team to win a FIVB Women's Club World Championship gold medal. VakıfBank also won gold, three years after Fenerbahçe's achievement. Aydemir won her second gold medal at the Women's Club World Championship at the 2013 Club World Championship playing with Vakıfbank Istanbul.
Aydemir won the silver medal in the 2013–14 CEV Champions League when her Turkish club VakıfBank İstanbul defeated Eczacıbaşı VitrA Istanbul 3-1 in the semifinal but then lost 0-3 to the Russian Dinamo Kazan in the Championship match. She was the recipient of the tournament's Fair Play special award.
Aydemir won the 2016–17 CEV Champions League gold medal with VakıfBank Istanbul when her team defeated the Italian Imoco Volley Conegliano 3-0 and she was also awarded Best Setter.
After spending four years at Vakıfbank İstanbul, she took a break from her volleyball career due to her pregnancy. After giving birth to her child, she returned to her old club Fenerbahçe Opet in the 2019-2020 season.

Personal life

Aydemir's cousin İlkay Gündoğan is a footballer for Manchester City and the German national team. On 21 August 2013, Naz Aydemir married national basketball player and member of Acıbadem Üniversitesi, Cenk Akyol. On 6 November 2018, the couple had a son, Pamir.

Awards

Individuals