Aug. 8, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.UCFAthletics.com) - The University of Central Florida will be represented in this summer's Beijing Olympics by business school graduate and Ormond Beach native Phil Dalhausser, who along with Todd Rogers, are the gold medal favorites in Beach Volleyball. They begin competition Saturday, Aug. 9 at Chaoyang Park BV Ground against Latvia's Martins Plavins and Aleksander Samoilovs in an opening preliminary match.
Beijing will be the first Olympics for the towering 6-foot-9 Dalhausser. Rogers, also making his Olympics debut, began playing on the AVP Tour in 1995, but it wasn't until he convinced Dalhausser (who debuted on the AVP in 2003) to join him in 2006 that Rogers began to win titles consistently. Since teaming up, they've won 27 of the 43 AVP events they entered, including eight of 10 in 2008. Internationally, the duo has won five of the 18 FIVB events they've entered, including three of six in 2008. They also won the 2007 World Championships, becoming the first U.S. men's team to win a world title. In that semifinal, Dalhausser/Rogers defeated defending Olympic champions Ricardo Santos and Emanuel Rego of Brazil. The Americans earned the most Olympic qualifying points in the world, but will be the No. 2 seed in Beijing because of an FIVB rule that allows the top seed to go to a team from the host nation if it finishes the qualfying period ranked in the top six. China's Xu Linyin and Wu Penggen were ranked fifth.
Dalhausser enjoyed a break-out year in 2006, winning eight AVP tournaments with Rogers along with an FIVB Grand Slam event in Austria. He was named the Most Improved Player by both the AVP and FIVB, and in a testament to his all-around game, was selected as the AVP's Best Offensive Player (for the second straight season) as well as the FIVB's Best Blocker.
Had played only four events with players other than Nick Lucena before the 2006 season. They were the lowest seeded team (16th) to defeat the top-ranked team of 2004, Karch Kiraly and Mike Lambert, when they beat them in Hermosa Beach. Played in five qualifiers in 2003, but their seventh-place finish to start the 2004 season enabled them to make the main draw ever since.
In Austin in 2005 he registered his first title ever, winning three matches in the contender's bracket and defeating each of the top three seeds in the tournament. Led the Tour in blocks in 2005 (405) and was sixth in kill percentage (.588). Dalhausser led the AVP in 2006 in blocks (2.56 per game), hitting percentage (.481) and kill percentage (.627), while ranking fifth in aces (.62 per game). In 2005 he was the most popular men's player in the AVP Fantasy Beach Volleyball Contest.
Dalhausser was born in Switzerland, where he lived for one year. He didn't start playing volleyball until his senior year in high school, where he also played basketball and tennis. He received a business degree from UCF, while starring on the club indoor team.