Global volleyball icon Chiaka Ogbogu has recently won her third 2026 CEV Champions League title with her Turkish club VakifBank. Celebrating the win, Ogbogu penned a grateful tribute to the team and highlighted her journey that made it possible for her to realize the momentous milestone. Ogbogu has joined Keba Phipps as one of the only two American women to have won this title.
The 2026 CEV Champions League just concluded on May 4, and VakifBank has claimed its seventh continental crown, which is beyond any other club across both men’s and women’s divisions in Champions League history. Under the leadership of head coach Giovanni Guidetti, VakifBank went undefeated throughout the league, winning all their 10 matches in a row.
The Serbian star, Tijana Boskovic, played a huge role in adding points to the team’s scoreboard, while the middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu acted as a classic defense wall at the net. Playing against Istanbul’s Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL, the final score was sealed at (TUR) 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18), with Boskovic, Marina Markova, and Ogbogu fueling the winning moments.
Ogbogu took to her social media and penned a tribute note to the club members and celebrated the win with a compilation of their post-win celebrations, where the players can be seen dancing in the locker room while holding the cup, alongside embracing moments on the court, and ending it with a group photo surrounded by gold and cheering fans.
She also wrote how much the win meant to her profile and paid tribute to her faith, family, and the team for making her part of this journey.
“So nice I had to do it twice 😉! I’m still in a little bit of shock, people work their whole career chasing what this team has accomplished this year. I am sooooo grateful to Vakifbank for inviting me to be a part of the ride once again. I thank God for this family, those wearing the jerseys and those behind the scenes, everyone played their role to make this dream come true.”
Ogbogu had previously captured the titles once while being part of Italy, and the next two titles came during her time with VakifBank.
Chiaka Ogbogu Talks About the Hardest Lesson Learned
Chaika Ogbogu has been hailed as the greatest middle blocker in volleyball history and has a list of accolades that would jaw-drop the viewers. With every win comes an important lesson, and that is exactly what Ogbogu highlighted during an interview where she spoke about the importance of self-reliance while highlighting how it is in serious need when playing on a professional level.
“The hardest lesson that I’ve learnt is that no one is coming to save you. I played many years overseas by myself, which is very isolating. Going from college where everything is kind of micromanaged and done for you, to the professional field, a lot of how you perform falls on you,” she said.
With the European club now conquered, Ogbogu is expected to head back to rejoin the U.S. Women’s National Team to eye another gold.
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