Iraklis Thessaloniki V.C.

Iraklis Volley
Full name Iraklis Volleyball Club
Nickname Γηραιός / Gireos (The Elder)
Founded 1921
Ground Mikra National Gym
(Capacity: 1,526)
Chairman Ioannis Mesthaneus
Manager Christos Patras
League A1
2014-15 1st place in A2 (promoted)
Uniforms
Home
Away
Active departments of GS Iraklis
Football
Basketball (Men's)
Basketball (Women's)
Volleyball
Waterpolo
Handball
Athletics
Swimming
Rugby
Ice Hockey
Judo
Wrestling
Boxing
Fencing

Iraklis Volleyball Club (Greek: ΤΑΠ Γ.Σ. Ηρακλής), or Iraklis Volley, is a volleyball team based in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. It plays in A1 Greek Volleyball League. Founded in the 1920s, they evolved in one of the most successful departments of G.S. Iraklis multi-sports club and one of the best teams in Greece and Europe, as they have won 5 times the Greek league (2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012) and reached 3 times (2005, 2006, 2009) the final of the CEV Champions League.

Men's Team

History

The European final-fours of the team

Iraklis was one of the first Greek clubs which encouraged volleyball before the World War II. After the war, they were always among the top teams in Greece. The first National Championship was played in 1968 and Iraklis was also able to contribute to the National Teams with plenty of players. During the 70's, Iraklis participated twice in the championship finals, thanks to the contribution of Nikos Antoniadis, the greatest athlete in the history of volleyball in Greece. In 1987, 1989 and 1992 Iraklis made it to the European Cup and in 1997 came the outburst of the team.

Thanks to an organized effort, Iraklis played three consecutive Championship finals and finally won its first title -the Greek Cup- in 2000. Two years later, the team won both the Championship and the Cup titles, while finishing third in the CEV Champions League final-four held in Opole, Poland.

The next four years Iraklis dominated in Greece, confirming his superiority by winning one Championship (2005), three Greek Cups (2004, 2005, 2006) and two Greek Super Cups (2004, 2005), but mostly by participating in three more CEV Champions League final-fours. In 2004 in Belgorod, Russia, the team finished in the fourth place. Next year, the presence of world-class players such as Lloy Ball, Thomas Hoff and Clayton Stanley helped the team to reach the final-four which took place in Thessaloniki, Greece. Iraklis beat Lokomotiv Belgorod in the semi-final, but lost 1-3 to Tours VB in the final, despite the outstanding support by the fans. In 2006, Iraklis made it again to the final in Rome, Italy, to be beaten by Sisley Treviso 3-1. About 4,000 Iraklis fans traveled to Rome to support the team, creating fantastic atmosphere and setting a record for an away crowd in a volleyball game.

The following season marked the beginning of a transitional period. Many of the top players were released from the team, while the budget was cut in half. Even so, the team's dominance in Greece continued. In 2007, Iraklis finished third in regular season, but managed to win the Championship beating Olympiacos S.C. in the semi-finals and Panathinaikos VC in the finals, having both times a disadvantage. The next Championship (2007-08) had the same conclusion. Iraklis defeated Panathinaikos VC in the finals (without losing a single game) and were crowned Champions for the fourth time in their history.

Current Squad

Season 2015–2016

Shirt No Nationality Player Birth Date Height Position
4  Greece Stelios Pipergias 5/1/1985 1.89 Setter
5  Greece Nikiforos Fotiadis 12/6/1997 1.94 Middle Blocker
6  Greece Dimitris Chatsziiliadis 13/1/1987 1.97 Outside Hitter
7  Greece Argiris Mavrovouniotis 22/9/1991 1.93 Outside Hitter
8  Greece Thanos Papadimitriou 9/1/1985 1.89 Outside Hitter
9  Greece Nikolaos Palentzas 6/4/1991 1.98 Opposite
10  Greece Christos Stefanidis 18/1/1993 1.91 Outside Hitter
12  Greece Kassandros Stiggas 29/11/1993 2.00 Middle Blocker
13  Greece Chrisostomos Tsatsoulas 27/1/1997 1.93 Opposite
15  Greece Theofilos Tsolakos 2/8/1991 1.96 Middle Blocker
16  Bulgaria Chono Penchev 11/12/1994 2.00 Setter
17  Colombia Andres Piza 8/3/1991 2.02 Opposite
20  Greece Tasos Gatsis 14/3/1991 1.96 Middle Blocker

Technical and managerial staff

Job Name
Head Coach Greece Christos Patras

Crest evolution

Notable former players

Belgium Belgium
Belarus Belarus
Bulgaria Bulgaria
Cuba Cuba
France France
Germany Germany
Greece Greece
Italy Italy
Serbia Serbia
Slovakia Slovakia
Sweden Sweden
  • Marcus Nilsson
United States USA

Notable coaches

Flavio Gulinelli

Honours

Greek League

Greek Cup

Double

Greek Super Cup

Greek Cup A1 Ethniki

CEV Champions League

Sponsorships

Women

Iraklis Volley
Full name Iraklis Volleyball Club
Founded 1927
Ground Katsaneio Indoor Hall
(Capacity: 800)
Manager Greece Panagiotis Kalpakis
League A1
2012-13 6th place in A1
(6th after regular season)
Uniforms
Home
Away

Current Squad 2012/2013

Number Name Height (m) Date of Birth Position Nationality
1 Labrini Konstantinidou 1,82 16/09/96 Setter  Greece
2 Chara Velliou 1,77 01/07/94 Opposite Hitter  Greece
4 Panagiota Damianidou 1,78 15/01/96 Outside Hitter  Greece
5 Evi Kiriakidou 1,88 27/07/81 Middle Blocker  Greece
6 Eleni Konstantinidou 1,81 18/04/92 Middle Blocker  Greece
7 Irene Kelesidou 1,75 16/05/91 Libero  Greece
8 Irene Michaliou 1,85 21/02/93 Middle Blocker  Greece
9 Olga Strantzali 1,85 12/01/96 Opposite Hitter  Greece
10 Georgia Tsoukari 1,76 01/01/93 Opposite Hitter  Greece
11 Nikoleta Karafoulidou 1,86 26/01/93 Middle Blocker  Greece
12 Evagelia Leonidaki 1,78 25/05/90 Opposite Hitter  Greece
14 Michaela Kravarik 1,77 14/09/97 Outside Hitter  Greece
17 Konstantina Bacharaki 1,93 23/02/90 Opposite Hitter  Greece
18 Marialena Artakianou 1,68 21/05/94 Libero  Greece
− Simona Komnino 1,82 10/01/97 Outside Hitter  Greece
− Efstathia Dimopoulou 1,77 01/01/96 Setter  Greece
  Captain

External links

Official Sites
Press
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