Fenerbahçe is the women's volleyball section of Fenerbahçe S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey.
Fenerbahce SK, Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball Team or Sari Melekler (Yellow Angels) is the women's volleyball team of Fenerbahçe S.K., a major sports club based in Istanbul, Turkey.
Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball Team play their matches at the 7000-seated Burhan Felek Sport Hall
History
Fenerbahçe SK Women's Volleyball Branch was founded in 1928 by Sabiha Rıfat Gürayman who was a girl playing for men's voleyball team of Fenerbahçe, and was the first women architect of Turkey. In 1954 a new era started with taking help from Çamlıca Girls Highschool, starting from 1958 those girls won 10 Turkish Championships alongside many titles. In 1977, Fenerbahçe SK Women's Volleyball Branch was closed due to financial issues. In 1989, it was refounded and promoted from Istanbul First League to the Turkish Second League in 1993 and to the Turkish First League in 1994. They were relegated to the Turkish Second League in 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.[citation needed] The Yellow Angels were the 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 archrival Eczacıbaşı SK in the finals (3-2, 0-3, 3-1, 3-1), which was their first ever title in the league's current format that had started with the 1984-85 season.
Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball team shone in 2009-10 season as the Yellow Angels finished the first round of the 2009-10 Turkish League undefeated in 22 matches (setting a 66:2 set ratio record), and reached the Final Four of 2010 Women's CEV Champions League undefeated. They then beat the host team RC Cannes in a thrilling five-setter, but then 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 the best server of the tournament.
The star-studded Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball team were on top of the world on 21 December 2010 in Doha-Qatar after beating South American titleholders Sollys Osasco 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-17) 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 the Best Scorer, and Eda Erdem was the Best Server.
In 2011, Fenerbahçe SK organized the Champions League Final Four in Istanbul Burhan Felek Sports Hall; however, in the semi-final the Yellow Angels lost to the Turkish team Vakifbank Gunes Sigorta Turk Telekom in a heart-breaking five setter (25-19, 21-25, 25-21, 19-25, 11-15), 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 (14-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-21), thanks to the local heroines Seda Tokatlıoğlu, Naz Aydemir, and Eda Erdem
n 2012, the Korean superstar Kim Yeon-Koung, aka the Asian Gamova, the American superstar Logan Tom, aka the Queen, and the Brazilian superstar Fabiana Claudino, aka the Black Pearl, all joined Fenerbahçe Universal after the club parted its ways with the non-Turkish players, except Lioubov Sokolova. The Yellow Angels won the CEV Volleyball Champions League, which was organized in Baku in 24–25 March 2012, having defeated France’s RC Cannes in the final in three straight sets (25-14, 25-22, and 25-20). Kim Yeon-Koung won the MVP award. She was also the Best Scorer. Naz Aydemir was named the Best Setter.
Achievements
International success
FIVB Club World Championship: Winner - 2010
Women's CEV Champions League: Champion - 2011/12
Second - 2009/10
Third - 2010/11
CEV Champion Club's Cup: Quarter Final - 1968/69
CEV Cup Winner's Cup: Quarter Final - 1973/74
Women's CEV Top Teams Cup: Third - 2008/09
Domestic success
Turkish championships (11)
Turkish Women's Volleyball League: Winners (3): 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11
Runners-up (2): 2006-07, 2007-08
Turkish Women's Volleyball Championship: Winners (8 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1969, 1972
Third (3): 1962, 1974, 1977
Other competitions
Turkish Cup: Winner (1): 2009-10
Runners-up (1): 2008-09
Turkish Super Cup: Winners (2): 2009, 2010
Runners-up (1): 2011
Istanbul League: Winners (10): 1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1960-61, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73
Runners-up (5): 1959-60, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75
Third (7): 1954-55, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1976–77
Private Competitions
Polisan Tournament: Winner (1): 2006
Marmaris Tournament: Winners (2): 2006, 2007