Phil Dalhausser, Nick Lucena golden in Long Beach beach exhibition vs The World

Women’s Results | Men’s Results

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena continue their winning ways after winning the gold medal at the Long Beach Presidents Volleyball Cup on Sunday.

The top finishers for the United States at the Long Beach Presidents Volleyball Cup were Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, who beat Canada’s Sam Pedlow/Sam Schachter for gold. Casey Patterson and Theo Brunner finished in fourth in the exhibition event of USA vs The World.

Dalhausser and Lucena were coming off an FIVB World Tour gold in Switzerland last week, heading into the exhibition tournament in Long Beach, which does not offer points on the World Tour. The duo went 3-0 in pool play against their fellow Americans, including Patterson/Brunner, Sean Rosenthal/Trevor Crabb and Casey Jennings/Bill Kolinske. The gold medalists added two more wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals against U.S. teams before beating Canada for gold, by score of 21-18, 21-15.

Gold for @NicklucenaFSU and @PhilDalhausser in front of the home crowd #GoUSA @FIVBBeach @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/5IuLCMUk8m

— USAV Beach (@USAVBeach) July 16, 2017

“It was fun playing in front of our home crowed. We always get a win, then a lose the last two times here,” said Lucena. “Phil played really well with the block.” In 2015 and ’16, Dalhausser and Lucena finished with silver at both FIVB World Tour events in Long Beach, making this exhibition their best finish in the city.

In the men’s bronze medal match, Patterson and Brunner pushed the first set into extra points to win the frame, 22-20. Poland’s Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak surged back for the next two and the bronze medal, 21-15, 15-13. It marked the second time this year that Patterson/Brunner narrowly missed the podium, having finished fourth on the FIVB World Tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in May.

“We’ve been all over the world, back and forth from continent to continent for the last 10 weeks,” said Brunner after the bronze medal match. “We’re almost treating this as a little down time, a mini vacation even though we’re playing at a high level. It’s been great to be back (in the U.S.).”

.@LordBrunner and @caseypatt now hit the road for @FIVBBeach Poland and then World Champs in Austria pic.twitter.com/118RSKIhkV

— USAV Beach (@USAVBeach) July 16, 2017

Format of play saw the United States play against each other in pool play, through the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, Brunner/Patterson topped John Hyden/Ryan Doherty, 26-24, 19-21, 15-13, on Friday night. Dalhausser/Lucena beat Jake Gibb/Taylor Crabb, also in three sets, 21-18, 17-21, 15-11, on Saturday. The men’s semifinal was played Sunday morning, which Dalhausser/Lucena defeated Brunner/Patterson, 21-11, 21-19.

The men’s international teams in the tournament were comprised of the top ranking in the world, five of them in the Top 15. Canada’s Pedlow/Schachter finished with silver and Poland’s Kantor/Losiak with bronze.

Replays of Long Beach Presidents Volleyball Cup will also be shown on ESPN2 on July 17 and 18. Check your local listings for times.

A thanks to our fans from @caseypatt pic.twitter.com/ByJnPd5UHX

— USA Volleyball (@usavolleyball) July 16, 2017

WEEK IN REVIEW
Long Beach Presidents Cup
– Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena won gold for the second week in a row, but Long Beach does not count toward their FIVB World Tour win streak of 11-straight matches, which is ongoing
– 2nd Place: April Ross/Lauren Fendrick, duo went 2-1 in pool play after forfeiting their final pool match, beat two U.S. teams in single elimination before falling to Brazil in the final
– 3rd Place: Sara Hughes/Kelly Claes, best finish against the international field of play (best on FIVB World Tour is tying for fifth)
– 4th Place: Casey Patterson/Theo Brunner fell to Poland in the bronze medal match; duo have also finished fourth on the World Tour in 2017, in Rio in May
– Tied for fifth: Summer Ross/Brooke Sweat, Kimberly DiCello/Emily Stockman; Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb, John Hyden/Ryan Doherty
– Tied for ninth: Emily Day/Brittany Hochevar, Kerri Walsh Jennings/Nicole Branagh; Billy Allen/Ed Ratledge, Casey Jennings/Bill Kolinske
– Tied for 13th: Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen, Lane Carico/Caitlin Ledoux; Sean Rosenthal/Trevor Crabb, Mark Burik/Marty Lorenz