Turkish middle blocker Zehra Güneş has spent almost her entire volleyball development inside the VakıfBank system, rising from the club’s youth program to the senior team and eventually becoming captain. Born in Istanbul on July 7, 1999, she combines a 198 cm frame with a blocking game that has repeatedly earned individual recognition in the Champions League, Club World Championship, Volleyball Nations League and European Championship.
Güneş has represented Türkiye through several generations of the senior national team, from the silver-medal runs at the 2018 VNL and 2019 European Championship to the breakthrough double of VNL and EuroVolley gold in 2023. She was part of Türkiye’s first World Championship medal in 2025, then helped the national team win both the 2026 VNL and EuroVolley. At club level, her 2025–26 season with VakıfBank produced a Turkish Cup, Sultanlar Ligi and Champions League treble before she opened 2026–27 by winning the Turkish Super Cup as match MVP.
Player Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Zehra Güneş |
| Date of Birth | July 7, 1999 |
| Age | 27 |
| Birthplace | Kartal, Istanbul, Türkiye |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Position | Middle Blocker |
| Height | 198 cm |
| Weight | 93 kg |
| Spike Reach | 320 cm |
| Block Reach | 310 cm |
| Youth Club | VakıfBank |
| Previous Senior Clubs | Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, Beşiktaş |
| Current Club | VakıfBank |
| Current League | Vodafone Sultanlar Ligi |
| Club Number | 18 |
| Club Role | Captain |
| National Team | Türkiye Women’s National Volleyball Team |
| National-Team Number | 18 |
| Senior National Team | 2018–present |
| Olympic Appearances | Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 |
| Career Status | Active |
| @zehragunes |
Current Turkish Volleyball Federation and Volleyball World records list Güneş at 198 cm, while CEV’s 2027 VakıfBank roster uses 196 cm. TVF currently lists her weight at 93 kg and its domestic competition database gives a 320 cm spike reach and 310 cm block reach; CEV uses different measurement figures for the same player.
VakıfBank’s current roster confirms Güneş as the club’s No. 18 middle blocker, while the club and recent reporting continue to identify her as team captain. Her official website identifies @zehragunes as her official Instagram account.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Güneş was born in Kartal, Istanbul, and began playing volleyball at the age of 12 with VakıfBank. Unlike players who entered elite club structures after establishing themselves elsewhere, her development has been tied to the same organization from adolescence through the peak of her professional career. VakıfBank’s official player biography traces her route through the club’s age-group system and the loan spells that prepared her for first-team volleyball.
Her youth years produced domestic success quickly. She won Turkish championships at age-group level and, at 15, moved on loan to Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor in the second division. The purpose of the move was practical: senior competition offered match experience that was difficult to replicate entirely inside youth volleyball.
Güneş returned to VakıfBank’s second team for 2015–16 and was part of the side that earned promotion from the third tier to the second division. Another loan followed in 2016–17 with Beşiktaş. By the end of that season, she had experienced both the VakıfBank development structure and senior volleyball away from the club, giving her a more complete preparation for promotion to the first team.
Her international development was already running in parallel. Güneş represented Türkiye at youth and junior levels, collecting Balkan and European Youth Olympic Festival success, a European youth medal and a world title with the U23 national team. Her own official career page also lists Best Middle Blocker awards at the 2015 U18 European Championship and the 2017 U18 and U20 World Championships.
By 2017–18, Güneş was ready to join VakıfBank’s senior team permanently.
Club Career
From VakıfBank Academy to the First Team
Güneş’s path to VakıfBank’s first team was unusually continuous for a player who later became an international star. Her short spells with Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor and Beşiktaş were loans rather than permanent departures, and from the 2017–18 season onward she established herself with VakıfBank’s senior team.
The timing placed her immediately inside one of Europe’s strongest club environments. VakıfBank were already regular contenders for the Turkish championship, Champions League and Club World Championship, meaning a young middle blocker had to compete for minutes while adapting to elite-level setting tempo, blocking schemes and serving pressure.
Güneş’s first full senior season ended with two major titles: the 2017–18 Turkish League and the 2018 CEV Champions League. Rather than needing several seasons before experiencing championship volleyball, she entered the senior game inside a team expected to win immediately.
Her responsibilities expanded quickly. By the 2019 Club World Championship she was already receiving individual recognition, earning a Best Middle Blocker award even though VakıfBank did not win the tournament. That distinction was an early sign that her value was becoming visible independently of the team’s trophy count.
Championship Years and Individual Recognition
The following seasons established Güneş as a long-term starter rather than simply a highly rated academy product. VakıfBank continued collecting domestic trophies, and her own game increasingly became associated with blocking production and first-tempo scoring.
The 2020–21 and 2021–22 cycles were especially productive. Güneş was named Turkish Cup MVP in 2021, helped VakıfBank win the 2021 Club World Championship and was selected as one of that tournament’s Best Middle Blockers. In 2021–22 she added Sultanlar Ligi MVP honors and another Best Middle Blocker award at the Club World Championship. VakıfBank then won the 2022 Champions League, with Güneş again selected among the competition’s leading middles.
The statistical basis for her reputation was particularly visible around that period. CEV noted before the 2022 Champions League Super Final that she had already become one of VakıfBank’s significant scorers and highlighted her blocking record from the Tokyo Olympics, where she finished the tournament with 29 winning blocks. The combination is important: Güneş was not simply a tall net defender but a middle capable of generating meaningful scoring through both first-tempo attack and block. CEV’s 2022 VakıfBank feature documented that growing two-way influence.
VakıfBank added another Champions League title in 2023, and Güneş was again named a Best Middle Blocker. By that point, individual awards at major tournaments were no longer isolated events: they had become a recurring part of her career.
Becoming VakıfBank Captain
A major change arrived before the 2024–25 season when VakıfBank appointed Güneş as captain.
The decision carried additional meaning because she had entered the organization as a 12-year-old. In its captaincy announcement, VakıfBank explicitly framed the appointment around a player who had progressed through the academy before becoming one of the club’s defining senior figures.
Güneş described the appointment as an honor and entered the season as one of the few players able to connect the club’s youth-development identity directly with its senior championship history. VakıfBank later extended her contract, reinforcing the captaincy as a long-term role rather than a temporary assignment.
The first season of her captaincy produced another domestic league title in 2024–25. In Europe, VakıfBank reached the Champions League Final Four but did not add the trophy, leaving the club with a clear target entering the following campaign.
The 2025–26 Treble
The 2025–26 season became one of the strongest of Güneş’s senior club career.
VakıfBank first won the 2026 Turkish Cup, defeating Eczacıbaşı 3–1 in the final in Ankara. Güneş started in the middle as the club secured another domestic knockout trophy.
The Sultanlar Ligi title followed in April. VakıfBank and Fenerbahçe took the championship series to a fifth match before VakıfBank won 3–1 at home to claim the series 3–2. Güneş again started as the club secured the 2025–26 Turkish championship.
Europe completed the treble.
VakıfBank entered the Champions League Final Four in Istanbul unbeaten and defeated defending champion Conegliano in the semifinal before facing Eczacıbaşı in an all-Turkish final. A 3–1 victory gave VakıfBank a record seventh European crown and gave Güneş the fourth Champions League title of her senior VakıfBank career.
CEV selected Güneş as a Best Middle Blocker in the Final Four Dream Team. The award joined her earlier Champions League selections from 2022 and 2023.
The season therefore closed with three major trophies — Turkish Cup, Sultanlar Ligi and Champions League — under Güneş’s captaincy.
2026–27: Opening with Another Trophy
VakıfBank retained Güneş for 2026–27 and opened the competitive season against Eczacıbaşı in the Turkish Super Cup on October 6, 2026.
VakıfBank won 3–2 after Eczacıbaşı recovered from a two-set deficit to force a deciding set. The trophy immediately added another title to the previous season’s treble, and Güneş was named MVP of the match by the Turkish Volleyball Federation.
She entered the new league season still wearing No. 18 and still serving as captain. In an October 2026 interview with Anadolu Agency, Güneş described the challenge of carrying lessons from the previous season into her responsibilities as captain and said she felt in strong form entering the new campaign.
Club Career Timeline
| Seasons | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2011–2014 | VakıfBank Youth | Türkiye |
| 2014–2015 | Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor — loan | Türkiye |
| 2015–2016 | VakıfBank II | Türkiye |
| 2016–2017 | Beşiktaş — loan | Türkiye |
| 2017–present | VakıfBank | Türkiye |
VakıfBank’s current biography records Güneş as a first-team player from the 2017–18 season onward, while CEV competition records show her continuously with VakıfBank in European competition from 2018 through the current 2027 European season.
National Team Career
Youth Success and Senior Breakthrough
Güneş entered senior international volleyball after already building an extensive age-group résumé. She had been part of Türkiye teams that won Balkan and EYOF titles, reached major youth championship podiums and won the 2017 U23 World Championship.
Her transition into the senior national team coincided with Türkiye becoming a regular medal contender. At the inaugural Volleyball Nations League in 2018, Türkiye reached the final and finished with silver behind the United States. Volleyball World’s competition history confirms that result.
The next major international medal came at EuroVolley 2019. Playing in front of a home crowd in Ankara, Türkiye advanced to the gold-medal match and pushed Serbia to five sets before losing 15–13 in the decider. The result gave Güneş another senior silver medal.
Türkiye followed those silver medals with bronze at the 2021 VNL, defeating Japan in straight sets in the third-place match. Güneş was by then an established member of the national-team middle-blocker rotation.
Tokyo 2020 and a Blocking Landmark
The postponed Tokyo Olympics provided one of Güneş’s clearest individual statistical performances.
Türkiye reached the quarterfinals, while Güneş finished the competition as the tournament’s leading blocker with 29 winning blocks. CEV later highlighted that total when profiling VakıfBank’s leading players before the 2022 Champions League Super Final.
The performance reinforced the part of her game that would become most recognizable internationally: she could influence a match even when she was not receiving large attacking volume because her block itself was capable of producing points in bunches.
The 2023 Double: VNL and European Champion
Türkiye’s 2023 international season changed the historical position of the national team.
First came the Volleyball Nations League. Türkiye reached the final in Arlington, defeated China and won the competition for the first time. Güneş was named one of the tournament’s Best Middle Blockers, joining teammate Melissa Vargas and libero Gizem Örge in the VNL Dream Team. Volleyball World’s Dream Team announcement confirmed the award.
A few weeks later, Türkiye carried that form into EuroVolley.
The final against Serbia was another five-set match. Güneş scored 15 points, while she and Eda Erdem combined for nine blocks as Türkiye won 15–13 in the deciding set to become European champion for the first time.
Güneş was again selected as a Best Middle Blocker, completing an unusual individual double: championship gold and positional Dream Team recognition at both the VNL and European Championship in the same summer. Her official website records both 2023 awards among the central achievements of her career.
Paris 2024
Türkiye arrived at Paris 2024 with its strongest Olympic expectations to that point and eventually finished fourth, the best Olympic finish in the history of the women’s national team.
Güneş’s tournament was shaped partly by availability, but once on court she remained a major blocking threat. Volleyball World records 26 points in four scoring appearances, including 11 blocks and three aces. In the semifinal against Italy she produced four blocks among six total points.
Türkiye lost the semifinal to eventual champion Italy and then fell to Brazil in the bronze-medal match, finishing just outside the podium. Although Paris did not produce an Olympic medal, it gave Güneş a second Olympic appearance and placed Türkiye among the final four.
2025 World Championship Silver
The 2025 World Championship delivered another national-team first.
Türkiye progressed through the tournament in Thailand and reached the World Championship final for the first time in its history. Güneş started the championship match alongside Eda Erdem in the middle as Türkiye faced Italy.
The final went to five sets. Türkiye twice recovered after dropping a set, but Italy controlled the tie-break 15–8 to win the world title. Türkiye’s silver was nevertheless its first medal at the senior Women’s World Championship.
For Güneş, the result added a World Championship medal to a senior résumé that already included VNL, EuroVolley and Olympic Final Four experience.
The 2026 VNL Title
Türkiye returned to the top of the VNL in 2026.
Güneş played seven matches and scored 67 points, with 38 attack points, 23 blocks and six aces. Her 23 blocks accounted for more than a third of her total scoring and again illustrated how much value she can create directly from the middle of the net. Volleyball World’s 2026 player statistics also give her a 46.34% attack efficiency for the tournament.
Türkiye reached the final against Brazil in Macao and recovered from losing the opening set to win 3–1. The victory delivered the country’s second VNL championship, following the 2023 title.
For Güneş, the championship came three years after her Best Middle Blocker award during Türkiye’s first VNL title.
EuroVolley 2026: Back-to-Back European Titles
The 2026 European Championship brought the national team back to Istanbul for another major final.
Türkiye met Italy in front of more than 17,000 spectators at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. The match swung repeatedly: Italy won the first and third sets, while Türkiye responded in the second and fourth before taking the tie-break 15–10.
Güneş supplied one of the decisive performances at the net. She finished with 12 points and a match-high six winning blocks, the largest blocking total of any player in the final.
Türkiye’s 3–2 victory retained the European title and also secured direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. FIVB’s final report highlighted Güneş’s 12-point contribution alongside Melissa Vargas’s match-leading performance.
The tournament ended with another individual honor. CEV selected Güneş and Serbia’s Hena Kurtagić as the Best Middle Blockers in the EuroVolley 2026 Dream Team.
By the end of the summer, Güneş had won VNL and EuroVolley gold in the same season for the second time in four years.
Playing Style & Strengths
Güneş’s clearest technical strength is her point-producing block. Her height and reach give her a large physical presence, but the statistical record shows that her impact is not based on size alone. She has repeatedly produced high winning-block totals against elite opposition across different competitions and coaching systems.
Tokyo 2020 offered an early high-volume example with 29 winning blocks. At Paris 2024, 11 of her 26 tournament points came from blocking. During the 2026 VNL, she generated 23 blocks in seven matches, including six against Thailand and four each against Poland, Japan and China.
The EuroVolley 2026 final supplied a more situational example. Italy had multiple elite attacking options, yet Güneş still produced six blocks in a five-set championship match. Those points came in a contest decided by only five points in the final set, demonstrating why her block can change the scoring balance of close matches.
Her second major trait is efficient first-tempo attack. Güneş is not normally asked to carry the volume of an opposite such as Melissa Vargas or Tijana Bošković, but her attacking role forces opposing middles to respect the center of the net. In the 2026 VNL she scored 38 attack points at a listed 46.34% efficiency, while her club numbers frequently combine efficient quick attacks with significant block scoring.
The combination gives setters tactical value beyond Güneş’s individual point total. When she is established as a first-tempo threat, opposing blockers have less freedom to release early toward the pins. Her presence can therefore help create cleaner one-on-one situations for outside hitters and opposites even when the set itself does not go to the middle.
She also contributes from the service line. Six of her 67 VNL points in 2026 came from aces, and she has produced serve pressure without being deployed as a pure risk-serving specialist. The serve is secondary to her attack-and-block profile, but it prevents rotations from becoming passive when she moves to the back line.
Leadership has become a further layer of her role at VakıfBank. Captaincy does not change the mechanics of middle blocking, but it has expanded her responsibility within a club where she once entered as a youth player. In a 2026 interview after the Super Cup, Güneş described starting the season by asking what she could improve as captain rather than treating the previous year’s trophies as a finished achievement.
Major Achievements
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | FIVB U23 World Championship | Gold |
| 2018 | Volleyball Nations League | Silver |
| 2019 | CEV European Championship | Silver |
| 2021 | Volleyball Nations League | Bronze |
| 2021 | CEV European Championship | Bronze |
| 2023 | Volleyball Nations League | Gold |
| 2023 | CEV European Championship | Gold |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Fourth place |
| 2025 | FIVB Women’s World Championship | Silver |
| 2026 | Volleyball Nations League | Gold |
| 2026 | CEV European Championship | Gold |
Türkiye’s first VNL title came in 2023 and its second in 2026, while the consecutive 2023 and 2026 European titles established the strongest championship period of Güneş’s senior international career. The 2025 World Championship silver was the country’s first medal in that event.
Selected Club Honors
| Year / Season | Competition | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | CEV Champions League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2017–18 | Turkish League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2018 | FIVB Club World Championship | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2018–19 | Turkish League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2020–21 | Turkish League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2021 | FIVB Club World Championship | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2021–22 | CEV Champions League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2021–22 | Turkish League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2022–23 | CEV Champions League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2024–25 | Turkish League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2025–26 | Turkish Cup | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2025–26 | Turkish League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2025–26 | CEV Champions League | Winner | VakıfBank |
| 2026 | Turkish Super Cup | Winner | VakıfBank |
VakıfBank’s current player biography credits Güneş with four Champions League titles, six Turkish League championships, five Turkish Cups, three Turkish Super Cups and two Club World Championship titles during her first-team tenure.
Selected Individual Awards
| Year | Competition | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | CEV U18 European Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2017 | FIVB U18 World Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2017 | FIVB U20 World Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2019 | FIVB Club World Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2021 | Turkish Cup | MVP |
| 2021 | FIVB Club World Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2021–22 | Sultanlar Ligi | MVP |
| 2022 | CEV Champions League | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2022 | FIVB Club World Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2023 | CEV Champions League | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2023 | Volleyball Nations League | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2023 | CEV European Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2023 | FIVB Club World Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2026 | CEV Champions League | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2026 | CEV European Championship | Best Middle Blocker |
| 2026 | Turkish Super Cup | MVP |
Her award record is notable for its range. Güneş has been selected as a leading middle blocker at youth international tournaments, the Club World Championship, Champions League, VNL and EuroVolley, while also earning MVP awards in domestic Turkish competition.
Family & Personal Life
Volleyball is part of Güneş’s wider family environment. She has two younger sisters, İrem Nur Güneş and Mina Güneş, who have also pursued volleyball careers.
In a 2026 episode of Volleyball World’s ROTATIONS, Güneş discussed growing up in a family where sport was a constant presence and reflected on how her sisters followed a similar path. The same conversation gave a broader view of her life beyond matches: she spoke about enjoying adventure, finding comfort in cooking and learning to manage the mental demands that came with entering elite sport at a young age.
Mental health was a significant part of that discussion. Güneş had been inside a professional development environment since early adolescence, and she described the process of learning from defeats and dealing with the expectations that followed increasing visibility. Volleyball World’s ROTATIONS profile also explored how becoming VakıfBank captain added another layer to a career built almost entirely within one club.
Gear & Brand Partnerships
Güneş’s official website lists Nike among her established commercial collaborations, alongside brands including Bioderma, Deichmann, Dyson, Mercedes and Yataş. The Nike relationship is the most directly relevant to her on-court apparel and footwear profile, although individual shoe models can change across seasons.
The breadth of those partnerships also reflects a public profile that extends beyond volleyball-specific sponsorship. Güneş has become one of Türkiye’s most visible active volleyball players while continuing to compete for the same club organization in which she developed.
Where Is Zehra Güneş Playing Now?
As of October 23, 2026, Zehra Güneş is the captain and No. 18 middle blocker for VakıfBank in the Vodafone Sultanlar Ligi. VakıfBank’s current roster continues to list her in the 2026–27 squad, and the club renewed her contract as part of its plans for the new season.
She is also an active member of the Türkiye Women’s National Volleyball Team, wearing No. 18. Her latest international summer included two major titles: the 2026 Volleyball Nations League and 2026 European Championship. The EuroVolley victory also secured Türkiye a direct place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
At club level, Güneş opened 2026–27 by leading VakıfBank to a 3–2 Turkish Super Cup win over Eczacıbaşı and receiving the match MVP award. VakıfBank also qualified for the December 2026 Club World Championship through its Champions League title, giving Güneş another major trophy opportunity later in the season.
Recent Performance Snapshot
2026 Volleyball Nations League
| Statistic | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches | 7 |
| Total Points | 67 |
| Attack Points | 38 |
| Attack Efficiency | 46.34% |
| Block Points | 23 |
| Serve Points | 6 |
| Team Result | Gold |
Güneş averaged 9.57 points per appearance during her recorded VNL matches. Blocking remained the standout element: 23 of her 67 points came directly from blocks, including six in one match against Thailand. Türkiye defeated Brazil 3–1 in the final to win its second VNL championship.
2026 EuroVolley Final
| Statistic | Final vs. Italy |
|---|---|
| Total Points | 12 |
| Winning Blocks | 6 |
| Match Result | Türkiye 3–2 Italy |
| Tournament Result | Gold |
| Individual Recognition | Best Middle Blocker |
Güneş was the leading blocker in the championship match. Her six winning blocks exceeded every other player in the final and accounted for half of her 12 points as Türkiye recovered twice from a set down to defend its European title.
2026 Turkish Super Cup
VakıfBank began the 2026–27 club season with a five-set victory over Eczacıbaşı on October 6. Güneş started the match in the middle, helped VakıfBank take the first two sets and remained central as the team recovered from Eczacıbaşı’s two-set response to win the tie-break 15–10.
The Turkish Volleyball Federation named Zehra Güneş the match MVP, adding an individual award to the first trophy of VakıfBank’s new season.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Zehra Güneş?
Zehra Güneş was born on July 7, 1999, making her 27 years old as of October 2026.
How tall is Zehra Güneş?
Current Turkish Volleyball Federation and Volleyball World profiles list Güneş at 198 cm. Some CEV club records list a lower figure of 196 cm.
What position does Zehra Güneş play?
Güneş is a middle blocker. Blocking and first-tempo attack are the central parts of her role, and she has repeatedly received Best Middle Blocker awards at major international and club competitions.
Which club does Zehra Güneş play for?
Güneş plays for VakıfBank in Türkiye’s Vodafone Sultanlar Ligi. She has been part of the senior team since 2017–18 and is currently the club captain and No. 18.
How many Champions League titles has Zehra Güneş won?
Güneş has won four CEV Champions League titles with VakıfBank: 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2026. Her latest title came as captain, and she was selected as a Best Middle Blocker in the 2026 Final Four Dream Team.
What is Zehra Güneş’s Instagram?
Her official Instagram account is @zehragunes. The handle is identified directly on her official website.
References
- VakıfBank Sports Club — Zehra Güneş Player Profile
- VakıfBank Sports Club — Current Women’s Team Roster
- Türkiye Volleyball Federation — Women’s National Team Roster
- Zehra Güneş — Official Website
- CEV Champions League — VakıfBank Claim Historic Seventh European Crown
- Volleyball World — Zehra Güneş VNL 2026 Player Profile
- Volleyball World — Türkiye Win the 2026 VNL
- FIVB — Türkiye Retain European Title and Qualify for LA28
- CEV — Türkiye Retain EuroVolley Crown and Qualify for LA28
- Türkiye Volleyball Federation — VakıfBank Win the 2026 Turkish Cup
- Türkiye Volleyball Federation — VakıfBank Win the 2025–26 Sultanlar Ligi
- Türkiye Volleyball Federation — Zehra Güneş Named 2026 Turkish Super Cup MVP
- Volleyball World — Türkiye vs. Italy, 2025 World Championship Final
- Volleyball World — Zehra Güneş Featured in ROTATIONS
