Ángel Dennis

{{Infobox volleyball biography

| name = Ángel Dennis Díaz

| image = Ángel Dennis.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Ángel Dennis during a volleyball match in Piacenza.

| fullname = Ángel Dennis

| nickname =

| nationality = Cuban
Italian

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|6|13|df=y}}

| birth_place = Havana, Cuba

| death_date =

| death_place =

| hometown =

| height = {{height|m=1.93|precision=0}}

| weight = {{convert|89|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

| spike =

| block =

| college =

| position = Outside hitter / Opposite

| currentclub = VOA/Morro da Fumaça

| currentnumber = 7 (club)
7 (national team)

| years = 1998–2000
2003
2004
2004–2007
2007–2012
2012–2013
2013
2013–2016
2016
2016
2016–2017
2017–2020
2020–2022
2021–2022
2022–2023
2023–2024

| teams = Palermo Volley
Playeros de San Juan
ICOM Latina
Lube Banca Macerata
Cimone Modena
Club Ciudad de Bolívar
Anwar Club
APAV Canoas
Anwar Club
Revivre Milano
Lupi Santa Croce
Sporting CP
Pallavolo Macerata
Al Jazira Sport Club
Enosis Neon Paralimni
VOA/Morro da Fumaça

| nationalyears = 1996–2001

| nationalteam = {{vb|CUB}} (212)

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{CUB}}}}

| updated = 26 October 2023

}}

Ángel Dennis (born 13 June 1977) is a Cuban-born Italian volleyball player. Dennis played with the Cuban men's national volleyball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he finished in seventh place.{{Cite web |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/94482 |website=Olympedia |title=Ángel Dennis |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306220223/https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/94482 |archive-date=6 March 2023 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/28/sports/sydney-2000-roundup-russia-ousts-cuba-in-men-s-volleyball.html |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Sydney 2000: Roundup; Russia Ousts Cuba in Men's Volleyball |date=September 28, 2000 |page=S7 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=September 5, 2024 }} {{subscription required}} He was widely regarded as the most talented player on the Cuban men's team. He helped the Cuban team win the bronze medal at the 1998 FIVB World Championship in Japan.

Club volleyball

Dennis played for IVECO Palermo from 1998 to 2000. After a period of inactivity, Dennis returned to play in 2003-2004 for Latina Volley, before moving to Lube Banca Marche Macerata the following year, after a short stint in Qatar. With Lube he won a top national division and an Italian Supercup in 2006, and two CEV Cups (2005–2006).{{Cite web |url=https://volleybox.net/angel-dennis-p291/indoor_tournaments |website=Volleybox.net |title=Medals |access-date=10 October 2023 }} In 2017, Dennis signed a contract with Sporting CP.{{Cite web |url=https://volleybox.net/angel-dennis-p291 |title=Angel Dennis |website=Volleybox.net |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323205155/https://volleybox.net/angel-dennis-p291 |archive-date=23 March 2023 |url-status=live }}

2001 Defection

In 2001, Dennis was one of six players on the Cuban men's national volleyball team to leave a hotel they stayed at in Flanders for a tournament, and from there rode a train to Italy for political asylum. The other players were Leonel Marshall, Jorge Luis Hernández, Ihosvany Hernández, Yasser Romero, and Ramón Gato. Once they were granted asylum in Italy, this group was referred to as "the defectors".{{Cite web |url=https://www.volleywood.net/volleyball-related-news/volleyball-news-north-america/cuban-defectors-a-decade-later/ |website=Volleywood.net |title=The Defectors a Decade Later |date=30 December 2011 |access-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308220145/http://www.volleywood.net/volleyball-related-news/volleyball-news-north-america/cuban-defectors-a-decade-later |archive-date=8 March 2016 |url-status=live }}