BYU men’s volleyball announced Wednesday the signing of middle blocker Miki Jauhiainen (pronounced me-key yhow-he-eye-nen) from Finland for the 2017 season.
Jauhiainen will help replace the six seniors BYU lost at the conclusion of the 2016 season. BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead has been hard at work to find players that can have an immediate impact on the team.
“Miki is a player that will bring depth and international volleyball experience to our middle blocker position,” Olmstead said. “He is a big and athletic kid with solid movement patterns who should come in and make an impact when he arrives on campus this January.”
Jauhiainen won’t be able to join the team in the fall when the rest of the players return from summer break. He will be available to play for BYU at the start of 2017. He played this last season at Kuortane High School in Tampere, Finland. The 6-foot-7 middle blocker was selected to the 2017 Finnish Senior National Team and to the 2017 Finnish World League roster.
“He has invaluable international volleyball experience, having played in different competitions in Europe with the Finnish youth and junior national teams,” Olmstead said. “Additionally, this summer he will compete in a premiere volleyball tournament called the World League against some of the best players in the world.”
Jauhiainen played under coach Oskar Muurinen at the highest club level for Rantaperkion Isku. He helped his team collect two bronze (2009 and 2011), one silver (2010) and two gold (2013 and 2014) regional finishes in the Southwest Region Championship.
Nationally, he helped his club team collect two silver medals in the Junior National Championships in 2012 and 2015. Additionally, Jauhiainen was named to the championship tournament all-star team in 2012, 2015 and 2016.
“He is a great student and has his goals set on playing professionally back in Europe when his career at BYU comes to an end,” Olmstead said.
The Cougars hope Jauhiainen will be a valuable asset as they try to make another run at the national championship in 2017.
