Tour in 2014. U.S. men’s beach teams secured 10 medals – won by a
T
record fi ve different teams – with just one double gender FIVB Grand Slam remaining in Brazil on Sept. 23-28 The highlight of the American summer was the $1
million FIVB Grand Slam in Long Beach, where Phil Dalhausser/Sean Rosenthal fi nished off a run that saw them win three world tour events and 28 of 29 matches in a span of four tournaments. The one event they didn’t win at The Hague in Netherlands still netted them a silver medal. Dalhausser and Rosenthal certainly rebounded from a
2013 season when they had to defend themselves against critics who fi rst anointed them unbeatable and quickly turned on them with claims of underachievement. “I think with this run we’ve answered the skeptics,” Dalhausser said in Long Beach. “One Swiss player came up to me last year and said, ‘I thought you guys were going to win every single tournament.’ And I was like, ‘Well, sorry.’ But now that we’ve switched sides, I’m able to help Sean on two a little bit, take some pressure off him siding out, and it’s just been working out great.” The pair shut down their season after Dalhausser ag-
gravated an abdominal pull in Cincinnati at an AVP event over Labor Day weekend. He fi rst suffered the injury in a quarterfi nal match against Jon Stiekema and Christiaan Varenhorst of Netherlands in Long Beach July 25 when he felt a “pull” during a full extension on a hit. The injury slowed him at the Manhattan Open Aug. 15-17, but the pair still took home that prestigious domestic title. “I am confi dent I’ll be fi ne after a few weeks rest,”
said Dalhausser, who eclipsed his coach (Mike Dodd) on the all-time open win list this season when he earned his 75th title in Long Beach. “I am sure there is a small tear, but rest and some rehab should not limit my preparation for next year.” With the birth of his second child in August, Dalhauss-
er welcomed the extra time at home. “Getting a six-week and 15-month old to bed every night on time is not easy for my wife,” he said. “I have been able to help her out and being at home has been nice.” Despite the successful season being cut short, Rosen-
thal felt the team was on track for what they wanted to accomplish two years out from Rio de Janiero in 2016. Rosenthal switching to the right side and coming into the 2014 stronger were two big reasons. “It’s obviously working out,” he said. “Last year, we
had a good year, but we didn’t have as good of a year as we wanted because we weren’t consistent. This year we have been a lot more consistent. Right now, I look at my right side game and I think that maybe I was a right-side player my whole career. It’s only going to get better the more that I can see, the better I pass, the more vision I have, the more comfortable I get in pressure situations.“ Four other men’s teams made their mark on the FIVB
Tour, but none as impressive as the rapid rise of 41-year- old John Hyden and his 25-year-old partner Tri Bourne. The pair began the season earning their way into FIVB qualifi ers by fi rst qualifying through USA Volleyball’s new domestic qualifi cation events.
USAVOLLEYBALL.ORG | 29
he medal measure meter revealed an American men’s season of both dominance and depth on the FIVB
BIG REACH: Phil Dalhausser, above, enjoyed a strong 2014 before an abdominal injury cut his season a little short. Below, Jake Gibb earned a podium spot with Casey Patterson to help Americans win 10 medals. (Photos: Peter Brouillet)
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