Dalhausser is Beach Male Athlete of the Year

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 8, 2010) – Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) has been named the USA Volleyball Beach Male Athlete of the Year for 2010 and has been nominated for the United States Olympic Committee SportsMan of the Year.

It is the second year in a row that he has won the award.

"I am very honored that I have been named USAV male beach athlete of the year," Dalhausser said. "I take pride in representing our country on and off the court." 

Dalhausser, 30, and partner Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) won 75 of 86 matches on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour in 2010 as well as 34 of 34 matches on the AVP Tour before it ceased operations on Aug. 13.

In 2010, Dalhausser and Rogers became the first American men’s team to win the SWATCH FIVB World Tour championship since the early 1990s when Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos were the top international team when the season overlapped two years (1992-1993). Dalhausser and Rogers also established a record for winnings by a men’s team in a single-season with US$387,700 in earnings.

Dalhausser and Rogers were named the FIVB’s Team of the Year after capturing nine SWATCH FIVB World Tour titles in 2010, including Grand Slam gold medals in Italy (Rome), Switzerland (Gstaad), Austria (Klagenfurt) and Poland (Stare Jablonki) along with second- and third-place finishes at major events in Russia (Moscow) and Norway (Stavanger), respectively.

Dalhausser was named to Most Outstanding Player for the FIVB tournaments in Brasília, Brazil; Rome, Myslowice, Poland; Prague; Gstaad, Switzerland; Stare Jablonki, Poland; Kristiansand, Norway and Åland, Finland.

He also dominated the FIVB’s season-ending awards and was voted the most outstanding player, the top offensive player and the best hitter, setter and blocker.

At the opening 2010 FIVB World Tour event in Brasilia, Brazil, Dalhausser and Rogers came through the contender's bracket to win and become the first American team to win a title in that country since 1996.

The team won its 500th match (international and domestic) together in 2010 when it defeated Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil of the Netherlands on July 31 while playing at the FIVB event in Klagenfurt, Austria.

Domestically, Dalhausser and Rogers dominated the AVP Tour winning five out of six of the tournaments in which they competed. They finished the opening tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., tied for second with Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Nick Lucena (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) because the final was cancelled due to weather.

USA Volleyball will announce its selections for Beach Female Athlete, Female Paralympic, Male Paralympic Athletes of the Year and Teams of the Year through Dec. 14.

U.S. Women's Natonal Team libero Stacy Sykora (Burleson, Texas) was named the USA Volleyball Indoor Female Athlete of the Year. U.S. Men's National Team opposite Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii) was named the USA Volleyball Indoor Male Athlete of the Year.

Tags: Athlete of the Year, Beach, Beach Volleyball, Phil Dalhausser, Todd Rogers