Canada collapses late in 4th set en route to 4th straight loss in women's volleyball
Turkey scores 8 consecutive points on way to 5-set Volleyball Nations League win
Canada's women remain winless in their Volleyball Nations League debut.
Trailing 23-17, Turkey reeled off eight consecutive points for a 25-23 victory and carried momentum into a fifth and deciding set.
Even a timeout called by Canada head coach Shannon Winzer with her team ahead 23-20 in the fourth set couldn't help the players close out the match as they had trouble handling the ball.
Then, Turkish opposite hitter Ebrar Karakurt took over, breaking a 23-23 tie with a key block and point off a block.
WATCH | Canada blows lead, falls to Turkey in 5 sets:
Canada (0-4) returns to the court against China on Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. ET. Watch it live on CBCSports.ca and check the full broadcast schedule for further details.
In Monday's deciding set, a Karakurt kill — one of her team-high 21 points — gave Turkey a 6-3 advantage.
"We're going to stay in the game. … Great teams reset," Winzer could be heard saying during a timeout.
Comeback kids
Opposite hitter Kiera van Ryk, who led both teams with 27 points, immediately scored a point off a block and setter Brie King brought Canada within a point.
After Turkey restored its three-point lead at 9-6, Canada came back to even matters on a kill deep to the corner by outside hitter Hilary Howe, a Karakurt missed shot wide and a long hit out of bounds by one of her teammates.
Tied 9-9, the teams exchanged points before Canada went up 11-10, only for Turkey to score five of the next six points for the win.
The annual international men's and women's competition featuring the world's top 16 teams in each gender was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Canadian men's and women's squads will each play a 15-match preliminary round until June 23. The top four countries advance to the semifinals and finals.
