Iraklis Thessaloniki V.C.

Iraklis Thessaloniki V.C.
Full name Iraklis Thessaloniki Volleyball Club
Nickname Γηραιός / Gireos (The Old one)
Founded 1921
Ground Mikra National Gym
(Capacity: 1,526)
Chairman Theofilos Kolibatzis
Manager Sotiris Drikos
League A1
2010-11 2nd place in A1
(1st after regular season)
Uniforms
Current
 
Home
 
Away
 
Libero

Iraklis Thessaloniki Volleyball Club (Greek: ΤΑΠ Ηρακλής Θεσσαλονίκης) is a volleyball team based in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. It plays in A1 Greek Volleyball League and in CEV Champions League. Founded in the 1920s, it evolved in one of the most successful departments of G.S. Iraklis Thessaloniki sports club.

Contents

Men's Team

History

Iraklis was one of the first clubs which encouraged volleyball as one of the main activities before the World War II. After the war, it was always among the top teams in Greece. The first Greek National Championship was played in 1968 and Iraklis, apart of its own success, was able to contribute to the National Teams with plenty of players. During the 1970s, Iraklis participated twice in the championship finals, thanks to the contribution of Nikos Antoniadis, the greatest athlete in the history of volleyball in Greece. Many Championships were lost because of the Athens clubs-favored system of play. In 1987, 1989 and 1992 Iraklis made it to European Cups 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, it won both the Championship and Cup titles, while finishing third in the CEV Champions League Final Four held in Opole, Poland. The next four years Iraklis dominated in Greek Volleyball, 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 its 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 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 2011/2012

Number Name Height (m) Date of Birth Position Nationality
1 Kostas Christophidelis 1.95 26/06/77 Outside Hitter  Greece
2 Panagiotis Berberoglou 1.84 21/09/93 Libero  Greece
3 Dimitris Charalampidis 2.00 06/03/91 Middle Blocker  Greece
4 Sinan Cem Tanık 1.98 19/06/80 Outside Hitter  Turkey
5 Viktors Korzenevics 2.04 09/07/87 Middle Blocker  Latvia
6 Andrej Kravarik 2.05 28/07/71 Middle Blocker  Slovakia /  Greece
7 Giorgos Stefanou 1.87 12/01/81 Libero  Greece
8 Kostas Prousalis 1.87 06/10/80 Setter  Greece
9 Theodoros Bozidis 1.96 08/04/73 Setter  Greece
10 Rolando Despaigne 2.00 07/06/87 Outside Hitter  Cuba
11 Ansis Medenis 1.99 23/10/84 Outside Hitter  Latvia
12 Nikos Smaragdis 2.02 12/02/82 Middle Blocker  Greece
13 Dimitris Efremidis 1.94 19/12/90 Outside Hitter  Greece
14 Panagiotis Pelekoudas 2.02 08/11/89 Middle Blocker  Greece
17 Chrisostomos Koltsiakis 1.93 06/02/90 Outside Hitter  Greece
18 Giorgos Tzioumakas 2.04 23/01/95 Opposite Hitter  Greece
Manolis Dimitriadis 1.83 10/02/85 Setter  Greece
  Captain

Notable former players

Belgium
Bulgaria
Cuba
France
Germany
  • Simon Tischer
Greece
  • Nikos Antoniadis
  • Theodoros Baev
  • Theodoros Bozidis
  • Christos Dimitrakopoulos
  • Marios Gkiourdas
  • Chrysanthos Kyriazis
  • Nikos Samaras
  • Nikos Smaragdis
Italy
Serbia
Sweden
  • Marcus Nilsson
USA

Honours

Total Titles: 13

Women

Iraklis Thessaloniki V.C.
Full name Iraklis Thessaloniki V.C.
Founded 1927
Ground Katsanio
(Capacity: 800)
Manager Michalis Kiriakou
League A1
2010-11 7th place in A1
(7th after regular season)
Uniforms
Current
 
Home
 
Away
 
Libero

Current Squad 2011/2012

Number Name Height (m) Date of Birth Position Nationality
1 Maria Gatsi 1,83 1993 Outside Hitter  Greece
2 Evgenia Berberoglou 1,72 1991 Setter  Greece
3 Georgia Tsioukari 1,76 1993 Opposite Hitter  Greece
4 Afroditi Ladeni 1,82 22/01/93 Outside Hitter  Greece
5 Eleni Georgiadou 1,80 1985 Setter  Greece
6 Eleni Konstantinidou 1,86 18/04/92 Middle Blocker  Greece
7 Irini Kelesidou 1,77 16/05/91 Libero  Greece
8 Maria Giannakopoulou 1,78 1993 Outside Hitter  Greece
10 Katerina Daoultzoglou 1,86 24/06/92 Middle Blocker  Greece
11 Marina Tsohatzi 1,76 1993 Setter  Greece
12 Evagelia Leonidaki 1,80 25/05/90 Opposite  Greece
13 Nikoleta Karafoulidou 1,86 1993 Middle Blocker  Greece
14 Katerina Hortiati 1,86 12/02/93 Middle Blocker  Greece
15 Chara Velliou 1,77 1994 Outside Hitter  Greece
16 Labrini Konstantinidou 1,82 1996 Setter  Greece
17 Marialena Artakianou 1,72 21/05/94 Libero/Outside Hitter  Greece
18 Olympia Dimika 1,77 12/12/93 Outside Hitter  Greece
  Captain

External links

Official Sites

Press