Halkbank and Fenerbahçe win five-set dattles as Efeler Ligi delivers dramatic Round 2 of new 2026/27 season

‼️If you wish to publish an Italian translation of this article, any of our other articles, or ANY PART OF THEM, please cite the original source. PLAGIARISM IS ILLEGAL ⛔️

The second round of the 2026/27 SMS Grup Efeler Ligi produced a compelling mix of dominant performances and hard-fought comebacks on Saturday, October 24. Halkbank and Fenerbahçe Medicana both recovered from losing the opening set to claim five-set victories, while Ziraat Bankkart also had to come from behind after a difficult start against Altekma. The round’s fourth five-set contest saw İBB Spor Kulübü overcome Sultanbeyli Belediyespor.

Halkbank prevailed in the most prolonged contest of the day, defeating Spor Toto 3-2 (25:27, 25:23, 20:25, 35:33, 15:9) in Ankara. The fourth set was the match’s defining moment: Spor Toto came within two points of taking the contest, but Halkbank survived a marathon 35-33 set before dominating the tie-break. The match lasted two hours and 33 minutes, with Halkbank finishing ahead in attack points, 71-60, and blocks, 15-14. Darlan Souza was Halkbank’s leading scorer with 28 points, while Matey Kaziyski led Spor Toto with 23 in front of 750 spectators.

Fenerbahçe Medicana also had to overturn an early deficit, coming back from two sets down to defeat Gaziantep Gençlik Spor 3-2 (23:25, 19:25, 25:21, 25:22, 15:13). After Gaziantep took the first two sets, Fenerbahçe gradually turned the match around and edged a tight deciding set. Sam Jeanlys was the match’s top scorer with 25 points for Gaziantep, while Kaan Gürbüz led Fenerbahçe with 18. The visitors recorded 68 attack points against Gaziantep’s 58, although the home team had the edge in blocks, 10-7. Played at Kamil Ocak Sports Hall in front of 970 spectators, the match lasted two hours and 27 minutes.

Ziraat Bankkart completed another comeback, beating Altekma 3-2 (14:25, 25:21, 22:25, 25:15, 15:10). Altekma stunned the hosts by taking the opening set 25-14 and moved ahead again at 2-1, but Ziraat responded strongly in the fourth before controlling the tie-break. The hosts finished with 58 attack points, eight blocks and eight aces, while Altekma registered 51 attack points, 12 blocks and four aces. The match drew 1,750 spectators and lasted two hours and three minutes.

İBB Spor Kulübü also had to work hard for victory, defeating Sultanbeyli Belediyespor 3-2 (25:15, 17:25, 20:25, 25:21, 15:12). İBB won the opening set comfortably, but Sultanbeyli took the next two to move within one set of an away victory. The home side rallied to level the match and then held firm in the tie-break. Ali Fazlı was the standout scorer with 32 points for İBB, while Petar Đirlić led Sultanbeyli with 21. İBB recorded 63 attack points, compared with 58 for their opponents, but Sultanbeyli had the advantage in blocks, 11-8, and aces, 7-6.

Elsewhere, Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya earned their first victory of the season with a 3-0 home win over Akedaş Onikişubat Belediyespor (25:14, 25:20, 31:29). The result was more competitive than the scoreline suggests, particularly in the third set, which Galatasaray eventually won 31-29 after the visitors pushed them to the limit. Stephen Maar led Galatasaray with 19 points, followed by Efe Mandıracı with 16 and Can Koç with 12.

Gebze Belediyesi Spor also secured a straight-sets victory, defeating Sungurlu Belediyespor 3-0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:12). Gebze’s attack produced 39 points against Sungurlu’s 26, while the winners dominated at the net with 11 blocks to their opponents’ three. Marek Šotola was Gebze’s leading scorer with 15 points, and Gökhan Gökgöz added 13. The match lasted one hour and 20 minutes.

On Hotels Alanya Belediyespor completed the round’s third straight-sets win, beating İstanbul Gençlik Spor 3-0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:21). Alanya controlled the match offensively, finishing with 49 attack points compared with 31 for İstanbul Gençlik. Miguel Gutiérrez Suárez led the winners with 19 points, while opposite Krisztián Pádár was İstanbul Gençlik’s top scorer with 17. The match lasted one hour and 26 minutes, with 900 spectators in attendance.

With four five-set matches and three straight-sets victories, Round 2 offered an early indication of the competitiveness across the Efeler Ligi. Halkbank, Fenerbahçe, İBB and Ziraat Bankkart all showed resilience under pressure, while Galatasaray’s first win and Gebze’s second consecutive victory provided further talking points heading into the next round.

____________________

🇹🇷| 2026/27 SMS Grup Efeler Ligi | Hafta 2 | Round 2

👉🏼Saturday October 24, 2026
• 13.00 (Local Time) | Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya – Akedaş Onikişubat Belediye Spor 3-0 (25:14, 25:20, 31:29)
• 14.00 (Local Time) | Gebze Belediyesi Spor – Sungurlu Belediyespor 3-0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:12)
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Spor Toto – Halkbank 2-3 (27:25, 23:25, 25:20, 33:35, 9:15)
• 16.00 (Local Time) | ON Hotels Alanya Belediyespor – İstanbul Gençlik Spor 3-0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:21)
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Gaziantep Gençlik voleybol – Fenerbahçe Medicana 2-3 (25:23, 25:19, 21:25, 22:25, 13:15)
• 16.30 (Local Time) | İBB Spor Kulübü – Sultanbeyli Belediyespor 3-2 (25:15, 17:25, 20:25, 25:21, 15:12)
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Ziraat Bankkart – Altekma 3-2 (14:25, 25:21, 22:25, 25:15, 15:10)

____________________

🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Gebze Belediyesi Spor 6
2. Ziraat Bankkart 5
3. İBB Spor Kulübü 5
4. Halkbank 5
5. ON Hotels Alanya Belediyespor 3
6. Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya 3
7. Altekma 3
8. Fenerbahçe Medicana 2
9. Spor Toto 2
10. Gaziantep Gençlik voleybol 1
11. Sultanbeyli Belediyespor 1
9. İstanbul Gençlik Spor 0
12. Sungurlu Belediyespor 0
13. Akedaş Onikişubat Belediye Spor 0

____________________

🏐| NEXT GAMES | Hafta 3 | Round 3

Tuesday October 27, 2026
• 14.00 (Local Time) | İstanbul Gençlik Spor – İBB Spor Kulübü
• 15.00 (Local Time) | Altekma – Halkbank
• 16.00 (Local Time) | Sultanbeyli Belediyespor – Gebze Belediyesi Spor
• 16.30 (Local Time) | Sungurlu Belediyespor – Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Ziraat Bankkart – Gaziantep Gençlik voleybol
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Fenerbahçe Medicana – ON Hotels Alanya Belediyespor
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Akedaş Onikişubat Belediye Spor – Spor Toto

____________________

👀|QUICK LINKS
• All news from Turkey 🇹🇷
• Multimedia
• Facebook
• Instagram

___________________