Tuomas Petteri Sammelvuo (born 16 February 1976) is a Finnish professional volleyball coach and former player. He serves as head coach for the Polish PlusLiga team, Asseco Resovia.[1][2][3]

Tuomas Sammelvuo
Sammelvuo in 2012
Personal information
Full nameTuomas Petteri Sammelvuo
Born (1976-02-16) 16 February 1976 (age 48)
Pudasjärvi, Finland
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Coaching information
Current teamAsseco Resovia
Previous teams coached
YearsTeams
2013–2019
2016–2019
2019–2022
2019–2022
2022–2023
2022–2024
2024–2025
Finland
Kuzbass Kemerovo
Russia
Zenit Saint Petersburg
ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle
Canada
Asseco Resovia
Volleyball information
PositionOutside hitter
Career
YearsTeams
1993–1994
1994–1997
1997–1998
1998–2000
2000–2002
2002–2003
2003–2005
2005–2006
2006–2008
2008–2009
2009–2010
2010–2011
2011–2012
2012
Raision Loimu
KuPS Kuopio
Strasbourg VB
Stade Poitevin Poitiers
Piemonte Volley
Copra Ventaglio Piacenza
Tours VB
Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza
Dynamo Kaliningrad
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle
Lokomotiv Novosibirsk
Umbria Volley
Lokomotiv Novosibirsk
National team
1993–2010 Finland (296)
Honours
Head coach  Russia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo
FIVB Nations League
Gold medal – first place 2019 Chicago
Head coach  Canada
NORCECA Championship
Silver medal – second place 2023 Charleston

Sammelvuo is still the only Finnish male volleyball player to have won the Champions League (2005). Having played 296 games in the national team, he has the second largest number of games in the Finnish volleyball history.

Personal life

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He speaks six languages: Finnish, French, English, Italian, Polish and Russian.[4]

From his first marriage to Petra, he has two children: a son and a daughter. In 2024, his second wife, Alina gave birth to a daughter, Lilianne.[5]

Career

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Early career

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Sammelvuo started his volleyball career in Pudasjärvi, northern Finland. When he turned 16, he moved to Tampere. Sammelvuo played in Finland youth national team, which reached fourth place at the 1995 Junior World Championship.

Finland

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Sammelvuo started his professional career at the age of sixteen, in Raision Loimu. After that, he moved to KuPS, and won two league titles and one silver medal.

Professional career

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From KuPS, Sammelvuo moved to the French team, Strasbourg VB. Sammelvuo spent there one year, and then moved to Stade Poitevin Poitiers. In 2000, he signed a contract in Italy, and started playing in Cuneo. Sammelvuo played for them for two seasons before moving to Piacenza. In Piacenza, he won the Italian Cup. In 2003, he returned to France and joined Tours VB.

In his first season in France, Sammelvuo won the French Champion title and made it to the Champions League semifinals, losing there to Lokomotiv Belgorod, the future competition winner. He ended the next season in Tours as the Champions League winner, being the first ever player from Finland to win the trophy.

After two seasons spent in Tours, Sammelvuo moved to Japan and started playing for Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza. He was the first ever Finnish volleyball player in Japan.

In 2006, Sammelvuo joined the Russian team, Dynamo Kaliningrad.

The 2008–09 season, Sammelvuo spent playing in Italy for Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia. For the 2009–10, he signed a contract with the Polish PlusLiga team, ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle. In 2011, he joined the Russian team, Lokomotiv Novosibirsk. He came back to Lokomotiv for the 2012–13 season, after one season spent in Italy.

National team

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He was appointed captain of the Finland national team in 1997. At the 2007 European Championship held in Russia, Finland came in fourth place and made Finland ball games history. Overall, Sammelvuo played 296 games in the national team.

Honours

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As a player

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As a coach

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Individual awards

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  • 2014: Coach of the year in Finland[7]
  • 2021: Coach of the year in Finland
  • 2023: Coach of the year in Finland[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Tuomas Sammelvuo nowym szkoleniowcem ZAKSY Kędzierzyn-Koźle". siatka.org (in Polish). 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Tuomas Sammelvuo Announced as Men's Head Coach". Volleyball Canada. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Piotr Maciąg, prezes Asseco Resovii: wierzę, że te dobre momenty w dalszym ciągu są przed nami". PlusLiga (in Polish). 19 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Sammelvuo on Olympic silver, coaching and kalakukko". Volleyball World. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Tuomas Sammelvuo, 48, ja Alina-rakas: Lapsi syntyi". Iltalehti (in Finnish). 31 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Dinamo Moscow triumph with the 2021 #CEVCupM title". CEV. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Secrets of Coaching Success: Tuomas Sammelvuo". CEV. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Eemi Tervaportti kauden lentopalloilijaksi toisen kerran – kymmenen vuoden tauon jälkeen". lentopallo.fi (in Finnish). 17 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
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