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	Ioannis Mesthaneus
League	A1
2012-13	10th place in A1 (10th after regular season)
Uniforms
Home 　 Away

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

Men's Team

History

The European final-fours of the team

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 2012/2013

Number	Name	Height (m)	Date of Birth	Position	Nationality
1	Kostas Tsiaras	2.00	06/06/90	Middle Blocker	Greece
2	Panagiotis Berberoglou	1.81	21/09/93	Libero	Greece
5	Pavlos Kouzounis	1.85	13/08/87	Libero	Greece
7	Petros Kiprianos	1.90	03/05/90	Setter	Greece
9	Christos Chatziparadisis	1.97	13/09/92	Middle Blocker	Greece
11	Andreas Andreadis	2.05	14/01/82	Middle Blocker	Greece
13	Dimitris Efremidis	1.94	19/12/90	Outside Hitter	Greece
14	Giorgos Tzioumakas	2.05	23/01/95	Opposite Hitter	Greece
16	Duško Novoselac	1.94	30/01/84	Setter	Serbia
17	Chrisostomos Koltsiakis	1.93	06/02/90	Outside Hitter	Greece

  Captain

Notable former players

• 

  Nikos Samaras

• 

  Plamen Konstantinov

• 

  Thomas Hoff

• 

  Rolando Jurquin Despaigne

• 

  Matej Cernic

• 

  Frantz Granvorka

• 

  Lloy Ball

Notable coaches

Flavio Gulinelli

• Alekos Leonis
• Flavio Gulinelli
• Anders Kristiansson

Honours

• Greek Volleyball League
  • Winner (5): 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012
  • Runners-up (8): 1971, 1975, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2011
• Greek Cup
  • Winner (6): 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012
  • Runners-up (2): 2001, 2011
• Double
  • Winners (3): 2002, 2005, 2012
• Greek Super Cup
  • Winner (4) (record): 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
  • Runners-up (2): 2000, 2006

• CEV Champions League
  • Runners-up (3): 2005, 2006, 2009
  • Third place (1): 2002
  • Fourth place (1): 2004

Women

Iraklis Thessaloniki V.C.

Full name	Iraklis Thessaloniki V.C.
Founded	1927
Ground	Katsanio (Capacity: 800)
Manager	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

• Iraklis Thessaloniki VC - Official Site (Greek) (English)

Press

• Blue Arena (Greek)