 |
Tapio Kangasniemi (born 7 March 1979, in Jakobstad) is a former professional volleyball player from Finland. He played libero in Finnish volleyball team since 2001. Kangasniemi retired from national team in summer 2008. He works now as a volleyball coach.
Kangasniemi started his career 9-years old in Kauhavan Wisa. After his junior year, he became top player in the Finland. He started playing in Finland Champion league in Tampereen Isku-Volley. In Isku-Volley, he won two Finland Champions seasons 2002 and 2006, silver medal in season 2003 and bronze medal in season 2005. Media have elected him three times Finland Champion league as best libero in the seasons 2002, 2004 and 2006.
In season 2007–2008, Kangasniemi played in Italy A2-league in Isernia team. He was best libero in the league and legavolley chose him to All-Star game against best players in A1-league. [1] After one season in Italy Kangasniemi made contract with Tampereen Isku-Volley and started play again in Tampere. Kangasniemi won with Isku-Volley Finnish Cup silver and Finland league bronze in season 2008–09.
After season Kangasniemi announced that he retire from national team. Kangasniemi moved from Tampere to Seinäjoki. He played on amateur player in Kuutoset Volley 2009–11 in Finland 1. division.
Kangasniemi played his first match in national team season 2002 against Tunisia. Season 2005 Kangasniemi had planned to end his career, but Finland national team new coach Mauro Berruto got inspired to Kangasniemi and Tapio continue his career. Continue career was not bad decision to Tapio. He played his best games in national team summers 2006 and 2007 when Finland played in Volleyball World league. Finland too survive to European Championships, where Tapio and team made Finland ballgames history became fourth place. Kangasniemi was one of the best liberos in the competition.
Kangasniemi announced before national team season 2009 that he is coming to retire from national team games. Finland team coach Mauro Berruto understood this very well and write a letter to Kangasniemi. Berruto said that Kangasniemi was one of the players who make him high effort.
Personal:
Team
Andrea Giani is an Italian professional volleyball coach and former player who scored numerous successes in the 1990s, including three World Championships with his national team. He is considered one of the best volleyball players ever. He was an all-rounder able to play both as outside hitter and as middle blocker, but he played several times as opposite too.
Hubert Henno is a French volleyball player, a member of France men's national volleyball team. He was participant of the Olympic Games Athens 2004, bronze medalist of the World Championship 2002, silver medalist of the European Championship, four-time French Champion, double Italian Champion, and Russian Champion.
Sérgio Dutra dos Santos, known as Serginho or Escadinha is a former Brazilian volleyball player. As a member of Brazil men's national volleyball team, he won gold medals at the 2004 and 2016 Olympics and silver medals at the 2008 and 2012 editions.
Paola Cardullo is a volleyball player from Italy, who was a member of the Women's National Team that won the gold medal at the 2007 European Championship in Belgium and Luxembourg. There she was named Best Libero of the tournament.
Urpo Sivula is a Finnish professional volleyball player. During the 2008 season he played in the Finland Volleyball league team Pielaveden Sampo. Sivula plays wing-spiker.
Simo-Pekka Olli is a professional volleyball player from Finland.
Olli Kunnari is a Finnish volleyball player. He is currently one of the key players in the Finnish national volleyball team. During the early years of his career, he played in the Finnish Champion league. In year 2004, he left Finland to play in the French Pro-A Volleyball league where he played until the season of 2009. Olli played the 2009 season in the Polish league. His current team Olympiacos SC, the volleyball team of the Greek sports club Olympiacos.
Mikko Esko is a Finnish volleyball player, a member of Finland men's national volleyball team and Finnish club Vammalan Lentopallo.
Pasi Hyvärinen is a volleyball player from Finland. He has played for Muuramen Lentopallo and Keski-Savon Pateri in the Finnish Championship league. For Season 2010–2011 he joined the GFCO Ajaccio team in French Ligue A. Hyvärinen is a member of Finland men's national volleyball team.
Matti Tapio Oivanen is a Finnish volleyball player, a member of Finland men's national volleyball team and Finnish club Hurrikaani Loimaa. His twin brother is Mikko Oivanen also volleyball player.
Tampereen Isku-Volley is a volleyball team from Finland. It is based in Tampere. The team was founded in 1911, originally known as Rantaperkiön Isku, the name changed to Tampereen Isku-Volley at the beginning of the 1990s.
Jukka Lehtonen is a professional volleyball player from Finland who joins GFCO Ajaccio in French Ligue A for season 2010–2011. He is also the captain of Finland men's national volleyball team.
Janne Heikkinen is a Finnish former volleyball player, a member of Finnish national team in 1993–2009.
Matti Hietanen is a professional volleyball player from Finland.
Daniel Lewis is a Canadian former volleyball player, a member of Canada men's national volleyball team, bronze medallist at the 2011 NORCECA Championship, bronze medallist at the 2015 Pan American Games, as well as a double Polish Champion, four-time Slovenian Champion.
Mauro Berruto is an Italian volleyball head coach.
Monica De Gennaro is an Italian professional volleyball player. She plays for Imoco Volley Conegliano and for the Italy women's national volleyball team. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics. She is 1.74 m tall.
Erik Thomas Shoji is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a libero for ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle and the U.S. national team. Shoji was a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and the 2018 World Championship; the 2014 World League and 2015 World Cup winner, and a two–time Champions League winner with ZAKSA.
Tampereen Ilves Naiset are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga, the premier women's ice hockey league in Finland. They are the representative women's team of the multi-sport club Ilves, based in Tampere, Pirkanmaa, and their home arena is the Tesoman jäähalli in Tampere's Tesoma district. They are the only team to have iced a team every season since the establishment of the Naisten SM-sarja in 1982. The team ranks second on the list of most Aurora Borealis Cup wins, with ten, and has claimed the most Finnish Championship medals in league history, with ten gold, twelve silver, and six bronze for 28 total medals.
Steven Kehoe, Jr., is an American former volleyball player who played professionally in Finland and Belgium.