In a fiercely contested match, the Turkish Sultans of the Net fell 3-0 to a determined Italy on Thursday in the Olympic semifinals.
Italy won with 25-22, 25-19 and 25-22 sets at South Paris Arena 1.
Paola Egonu carried Italy to victory with 24 points, while Melisa Vargas' 17 points for Türkiye was not enough for a win.
Italy had never even reached the semi-finals at the Olympics but are now guaranteed a first medal after their 25-22 25-19 25-22 victory.
Versatile opposite Paola Egonu was the star of the show for Italy after she scored 24 points, including a crucial ace in the third set, while Melissa Vargas's 17 points for Türkiye went in vain after the Italians turned the tide in each set.
"We needed to succeed, we might not have got back in time," Italy's coach Julio Velasco said. "We made some mistakes and took it a little bit too easy. But to win 3-0 and reach the final, we have to be satisfied.
"We'll prepare for the final like it's any other game. It's a gold medal match and we want to put on a show... We have a great responsibility on us."
Italy had beaten Türkiye 3-0 four days earlier in their final pool match but they had a shaky start to the first set and were behind for large parts before they found their rhythm.
As Italy edged ahead and brought up set point, Türkiye made an error with an overpass and Anna Danesi needed no invitation to attack at the net and give the Italians a 1-0 lead.
The second set was a repeat of the first with Türkiye edging ahead several times but it was Italy who picked themselves up midway through to again come out on top in the pressure points.
As Türkiye lost control, Italy wrapped up the set when Ekaterina Antropova - who made a big impact off the bench - served an ace as Turkish heads dropped amid Italian celebrations.
Derya Cebecioğlu stepped up for Türkiye in the third set as Italy played catch-up yet again, with most of the attack flowing through the outside hitter. But once again Italy clawed their way back and turned the third set on its head.
After catching up to Türkiye, Egonu scored with a deft attack and then served an ace to give them the lead before Sarah Fahr made three crucial blocks as Italy sealed the win.
But the tournament isn’t over for Türkiye just yet. They’ll compete for bronze against Brazil, who were defeated by Team USA earlier on Thursday.
The USA eliminated Brazil with a narrow 25-23, 18-25, 25-15, 23-25 and 15-11 win in the semifinal match at South Paris Arena 1.
Kathyrn Plummer rallied Team USA to victory with 26 points, while Ana Cristina de Souza was Brazil's top scorer with 24 points.
Türkiye will take on Brazil for bronze on Saturday, while Italy will face USA in the final on Sunday.
