Pielaveden Sampo


Pielaveden Sampo is a professional volleyball club based in Pielavesi, a small town in Eastern Finland. The club is one of the most successful teams in the Finland volleyball league.
The team has become a national champion in the national volleyball league three times, in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and has been the first runner-up in 2001, 2007, 2008, and 2010. Sampo has also won a bronze medal in 2002 and 2003. There have also been plenty of famous players playing on the team, e.g. Olli Kunnari and Urpo Sivula. One of Sampo's owners is a well-known volleyball player, Tuomas Sammelvuo.

History

Sampo's first season in the Finnish Champion league was season 1998/1999. The next year Sampo became the first runner-up, followed by two bronze medals in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, Sampo won its first National Championship, clinching the same title again the following year. Preceded by the miserable 2006 season, the club won the Finland Cup Championship and secured a Finland League silver medal in 2007. In the same season Sampo made its debut in the European league finishing eighth. Following all but the same pattern of the previous year, Season 2008 saw Sampo finish second again in the Finland League.
After two consecutive years of having to settle for a silver medal, the club finally achieved its third National Championship in 2009. At the end of the season, the club's huge financial troubles were disclosed and it was close to complete withdrawal from the national league. Yet, the club eventually managed to enter the 2010 season with a hugely scaled-down budget. At the end of the season, the club achieved a silver medal.

Achievements

NumberNameBornNationality
2Aki Riihimäki11.01.1977Finland
4Jussi Aamuvuori12.06.1980Finland
5Matti Oivanen26.05.1986Finland
6Ilkka Sammelvuo21.01.1979Finland
7Juha-Matti Iivarinen11.11.1983Finland
8Tatu Säisä07.03.1983Finland
9Salvis Cielavs13.12.1974Latvia
10Urpo Sivula15.04.1988Finland
11Lasse Räisänen6.11.1989Finland
12Timo Tolvanen8.11.1977Finland
14Olli-Pekka Ojansivu31.12.1987Finland
15Tero Viitanen09.08.1971Finland
16Igor Eliseev-.-.1983Russia