View source for Kim Staelens

{{Short description|Dutch volleyball player}}
{{More footnotes needed|BLP=yes|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox volleyball player
| name         = Kim Staelens
| image        = KimStaelens.jpg
| fullname     = Kim Staelens
| nickname     =
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1982|01|07}}
| birth_place = [[Kortrijk]], Belgium
| hometown     = [[Eindhoven]], The Netherlands
| height       = {{height|m=1.82|precision=0}}
| weight       = {{convert|75|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| position     = Setter
| spike        = 305&nbsp;cm
| block        = 301&nbsp;cm
| team = [[Impel Gwardia Wrocław]]
| nationalteam = [[Netherlands women's national volleyball team|Netherlands]]
| updated      = 28 October 2006
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Women's Volleyball}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{NED}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Women's European Volleyball Championship|European Championship]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[2009 Women’s European Volleyball Championship|2009 Poland]] |Team Competition }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Volleyball Grand Prix|FIVB World Grand Prix]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[FIVB World Grand Prix 2007|2007 Ningbo]] | Team Competition}}
}}
'''Kim Staelens''' (born 7 January 1982 in [[Kortrijk]], [[Belgium]]) is a Dutch professional volleyball player last under contract at [[Romania]]n team [[CS Ştiinţa Bacău (Women's Volleyball)|Ştiinţa Bacău]]. Her older sister [[Chaïne Staelens|Chaïne]] is also a Dutch international volleyball player. Their father [[Jean-Pierre Staelens|Jean-Pierre]] played many international matches for the [[Belgium national volleyball team]]. Staelens speaks [[Dutch language|Dutch]], English, French and German. Kim Staelens plays as a setter and is able to spike at 305&nbsp;cm, while she is capable of blocking at 301&nbsp;cm.

==International team career==
Born in Belgium both Staelens sisters were known to be talented players and decided to acquire for Dutch citizenship because they did not see enough future in the [[Belgium women's national volleyball team|Belgian team]]. As their mother is Dutch both were welcomed in The Netherlands and became national team regulars shortly after. So far she has played 154 international matches for the [[Netherlands women's national volleyball team|Dutch team]]. Staelens was part of the Dutch squad for the [[2006 Volleyball World Championship for women|2006 World Championship]] where the placed 8th. She was also part of the team during the 2007 Boris Yeltsin Cup in [[Yekaterinburg]] where the Dutch won the silver medal after losing the final to China (3–1).

==Club team career==
*{{Flag icon|BEL}} [[Hermanas Wervik]]
*{{Flag icon|BEL}} [[VC Wevelgem]]
*{{Flag icon|NED}} [[Bonduelle WC]]
*{{Flag icon|NED}} [[VC Weert]]
*{{Flag icon|FRA}} [[Marcq en Baroeul]]
*{{Flag icon|FRA}} [[USSPA Albi]]
*{{Flag icon|GER}} [[USC Munster]]
*{{Flag icon|NED}} [[HCC/net Martinus Amstelveen]]
*{{Flag icon|POL}} [[Impel Gwardia Wrocław]]
*{{Flag icon|ROU}} [[CS Ştiinţa Bacău (Women's Volleyball)|CS Ştiinţa Bacău]]

At the age of 15 Staelens decided to join her sister and play abroad in the Netherlands. Before that she played mainly in the reserve teams in the Belgian First division. As being only 15 years old she was having a hard time keeping up with her teammates during her first season in The Netherlands at Bonduelle WC. She moved to VC weert and during her second season at the club in 1999 she captured her first two prizes, winning both the Dutch league and the cup.

In 2000, she moved to France to play for Marcq en Baroeul, where she struggled to find her place in the team. She however decided to stay in France, but moved to another team. Also at USSPA Albi she was unable to become a key player and to get used to the French lifestyle. She then found her way to Germany where she signed a contract with USC Munster.

In Munster things went better for herself which also resulted in better results. During her first season she did not capture any prizes but Munster finished in both the German league and cup in second position. One year later they showed their potential and were able to win both competitions. Staelens was at that time still part of the Munster team, however she did miss the crucial part of the season due to a knee injury.

This knee injury prevented her from playing volleyball during the 2004 and 2005 seasons and she was recovering from her injury in a sports clinic in [[Zeist]]. For a long time it was unsure whether she was able to return to her top level. As soon as she was able to play in the later part of 2005 she was however immediately being called up for the national squad and participated in several tournaments. Like most of her fellow national squad members and coach [[Avital Selinger]] she decided to sign a contract with HCC/net Martinus Amstelveen to be part of a unique project on their way to the [[2008 Summer Olympics]]. It was not much of a surprise that Martinus captured both the Dutch league title as they Dutch cup in that year.

In 2012, she returned to the national team after a break.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/?news/179134852/Kim+Staelens+terug+in+Nederlands+volleybalteam.aspx|title=Kim Staelens terug in Nederlands volleybalteam|work=Omroep Brabant|access-date=2018-09-07|language=nl}}</ref>

==Prizes==
*Dutch National Championship title: 1999 (VC Weert), 2006 (Martinus)
*Dutch National Cup title: 1999 (VC Weert), 2006 (Martinus)
*German National Championship title: 2003 (USC Munster)
*German National Cup title: 2003 (USC Munster)
*Romanian National Championship title: 2013, 2014 (CS Ştiinţa Bacău)

==Awards==
*best setter at the 1999 European Youth Championship in [[Poland]]
*best setter at the 1999 Youth Eight Nations Tournament in France
*runner-up setter at the 2003 European Championship in [[Turkey]]
*fourth best blocker at the 2003 World Grand Prix
*fourth best server at the 2003 World Grand Prix
*fourth best setter at the 2003 World Grand Prix

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312023944/http://www.kimstaelens.nl/index1.php Official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312023932/http://www.kimstaelens.nl/index2.php Kim Staelens intro movie]
*[http://www.fivb.org/en/Volleyball/Competitions/WorldGrandPrix/2003/star_profiles/KStaelens.asp FIVB profile]

{{Netherlands Squad 2006 Women's Volleyball World Championship}}
{{Netherlands Squad 2009 Women's Volleyball European Championship}}
{{Netherlands Squad 2010}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Staelens, Kim}}
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Dutch women's volleyball players]]
[[Category:Belgian women's volleyball players]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate volleyball players in France]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Romania]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Kortrijk]]
[[Category:Setters (volleyball)]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate volleyball players in Germany]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate volleyball players in Poland]]
[[Category:Expatriate volleyball players in Romania]]
[[Category:Belgian people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Dutch people of Belgian descent]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate volleyball players]]
[[Category:21st-century Belgian sportswomen]]