Dalhausser, Rogers Bringing Gold Home from Brazil

B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org

The FIVB contributed to this release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 25, 2010) – The beach volleyball team of Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) became the first U.S. men’s team to capture a SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal in Brazil in 14 years by winning the Brasília Open title on Sunday.

Seeded third in the tournament’s main draw, Dalhausser and Rogers scored a 21-16, 21-12 win in 38 minutes over the fifth-seeded Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerutti to share the $30,000 first-place prize.

"Both of us were in a good zone and everything went our way and not much went there way," Dalhausser told the FIVB. "I think that playing three matches yesterday helped us both get into a very good rhythm for the championship match"

Rogers added, "We decided the serve the middle, which worked and our experience as a team did give us a little edge. Being the first international tournament of the year and with all the great Brazilian players, I have always felt that this is the toughest tournament of the year. If you are playing in Brazil, you will be playing the best."

In the first set of the gold-medal match, Dalhausser and Rogers scored the first two points then jumped out to an 8-3 lead before pulling ahead by seven at 16-9. Alison and Emanuel closed to 19-15. Rogers ended the set on a cross-court kill.

The deciding set was much closer as the Brazilians started out with the first two-points and the teams went back and forth early including three ties but the last was at 6-6 before the Americans ran six straight points. They built the lead up to 20-10.

It was Dalhausser and Rogers' ninth international gold medal as the team has now won its last three FIVB starts. Dalhausser and Rogers won their final two FIVB appearances last season in France (Marseille) and Austria (Klagenfurt).

It was also Dalhausser and Rogers' second straight victory of 2010 after they tied Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Nick Lucena (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) for first place the AVP Nivea Tour opener on April 16-18 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The men’s final could not be played due to weather.

The last time an American men’s team had won on Brazilian sand was in 1996 in Fortaleza where Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh claimed the gold medal.

In reaching their 12th SWATCH FIVB World Tour final in 26 international starts together, Dalhausser and Rogers had to win three Brasília Open elimination matches, one of which was against 2009 world champions and second-seeded Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann of Germany.

With his share of the $21,000 second-place prize, Emanuel became the first international beach volleyball player to win more than US$2-million in a career. He has now accumulated $2,004,485 for 194 FIVB events since 1994. Emanuel, who captured the 2009 Brasília Open title with Ricardo Santos after defeating Alison and Harley Marques in the finals, has won 70 FIVB gold medals while playing in 98 finals while reaching the podium 132 times with 143 “final four” finishes.

In Sunday’s all-Brazilian bronze medal match, seventh-seeded Benjamin Insfran and Bruno Oscar Schmidt of Brazil defeated 11th-seeded Pedro Cunha and Thiago Santos Barbosa, 21-18, 21-12 in 43 minutes.

After the Brasília Open, the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar continues with a double gender event in Shanghai (May 3-9) followed by the season’s first grand slam event in Rome (May 17-23).  Seoul (women) and Myslowice (men) host single-gender events May 25-30. After a week off, Moscow hosts the second grand slam event for men and women on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour on June 7-14.

View a photo gallery from the event.

For more information about the FIVB World Tour event in Brazil, visit the FIVB beach volleyball web site.

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, Brazil, FIVB beach, FIVB World Tour, Phil Dalhausser, Todd Rogers