Quick Facts
Biography
Tuomas Sammelvuo (born February 16, 1976 in Pudasjarvi) is a former professional volleyball player from Finland and nowadays the head coach of national team of Finland and in season 2016-17 the head coach of VC Kuzbass Kemerovo. Sammelvuo has a contract with the Finnish national team till 2020. The contract enables Sammelvuo to coach also clubteam.
Sammelvuo is still only Finnish male volleyball player who has won CEV Champions League (2005). He has also won two times France volleyball A1-league (1999, 2005). With 296 played national team games in Finnish national team he is second most national team games played player in Finnish volleyball history.
Career
Early career
Sammelvuo started his volleyball career in Pudasjärvi, which is located in northern Finland. There he played with his two brothers and one sister all day long. When he became sixteen-year-old Tuomas moved to Tampere and started stydy in Varala Sport Highshool. He stydy in Varala one year. Sammelvuo played in Finnish youth national team, which reached 4. place in Junior World Championships in 1995.
Finland league
Sammelvuo started his professional career at the age of sixteen in Raision Loimu. Season 1993-1994 he played in Loimu and win Finland league bronze. After that he changed to KuPS-Volley and win two time Finland league champion and one silver medal. His last season in Finland players chose him best player in Finland league.
Professional career
From KuPS-Volley Sammelvuo changed to France team Strasbourg. Year was 1997. Sammelvuo played in Strasbourg one year, and changed after that to Poitiers. In Poitiers he won France champions league, and silver season 2000. Then Sammelvuo changed to Italy and started play in Cuneo. At first Sammelvuo played in Seria B-league in Torino, but soon Cuneo wanted Sammelvuo. Sammelvuo made contract with Cuneo. Two season Sammelvuo played in Cuneo and after that he changed to Piacenza. In Piacenza he win Italian Cup gold. Season 2003 he changed back to France and started play in Tours Volley.
First season in Tours was success to Sammelvuo. He win France championleague gold and too in European Champions league bronze. Second season in Tours was too success to Sammelvuo when he win European Champions league. He was first player ever in Finland who win Champions league. Same season Sammelvuo win too France league bronze medal.
After two Tours years Sammelvuo moved to Japan and started playing Toyota Gosei team. He was first Finnish player in Japan ever. In Japan season he chose to All-Stars team in the league.
After Japan year Sammelvuo wanted come back to Finland. He signed a three-year contract with Pielaveden Sampo. But soon from Russian Superleague come call and Sammelvuo started play in Dynamo Kalingrad. In Dynamo Kalingrad Sammelvuo played his best season ever. Players chose him third best player in league season 2006-2007. Season 2008 Sammelvuo continued in Russian Superleague and media chose him to All-Stars game against Russian men's national team.
Season 2008-2009 Sammelvuo play in Italy A1-league in Vibo Valentia. Season 2009-2010 Sammelvuo play in Poland PlusLiga in ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle. Season 2010-2011 Sammelvuo played in Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, where he came back in season 2012-13 after one played season in Italy. His career ended in season 2012-13. Sammelvuo was elected to Finnish men's volleyball team head coach in January 2013. As a sum he decided to retire and started centralize his thoughts to national team almost half year before volleyball summer.
National team
He became the captain of the Finland men's national volleyball team in 1997. He has played over 210 national team games. In European Championships 2007 Finland came to fourth place and made Finland ballgames history. Overall Finnish volleyball legend played 296 games in the national team. Only Kari Kalin has played more games in national team than Tuomas in Finnish volleyball history.
Sammelvuo speaks English, Italian, Japanese and Russian.
Achievement
Club:
- Finland's cup gold 1994, 1995
- Finland championship 1994, 1995
- Italy cup win 2002
- CEV cup win 2002
- Champions league bronze 2004
- France cup win 2005
- Champions league win 2005
- European Champions 4. place 2007
Personal:
- Best player in Finland league 1997
- All-Star player Finland league 1997
- Portugal European Champions Qualifications best attacker 1997
- Season best Finland male volleyball player 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
- Year volleyball player in Finland 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004
- Japan league All-Stars player 2006
- Russian league 3. best player season 2007
- Russian cup best attacker 2008
- Russian league All-Star game 2008
Clubs
- 1993–1994: Loimu
- 1994-1995: KuPS-Volley
- 1995–1996: KuPS-Volley
- 1996–1997: KuPS-Volley
- 1997–1998: Strasbourg, France
- 1998–1999: Poitiers, France
- 1999–2000: Poitiers, France
- 2000–2001: Cuneo, Italy
- 2001–2002: Cuneo, Italy
- 2002–2003: Piacenza, Italy
- 2003–2004: Tours, France
- 2004–2005: Tours, France
- 2005–2006: Toyoda Gosei, Japan
- 2006–2007: Dynamo-Yantar, Russia
- 2007-2008: Dynamo-Yantar, Russia
- 2008-2009: Vibo Valentia, Italy
- 2009-2010: ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland
- 2010–2011: Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, Russia
- 2011-2012: San Giustino, Italy
- 2012-13: Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, Russia