American Dalhausser/Rogers Net ConocoPhillips Grand Slam Men's Gold

AVC

2008-06-29 07:52:00 From：AVC

Stavanger, Norway, June 29, 2008 -- It has been 16 years since an American men’s Beach Volleyball team had won back-to-back SWATCH FIVB World Tour events as Phil Dalhuasser and Todd Rogers accomplished the feat here Sunday by winning the US$600,000 ConocoPhillips Grand Slam on the Vaagen Harbour centre court.

With a pair of wins Sunday over teams from the Netherlands and Germany, the top-seeded Dalhausser and Rogers validated their gold medal success last Sunday in Paris after the Americans had placed second two weeks ago in Berlin where Brazilian Olympic champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos won the German title.

With their 29-27 and 21-15 win in 56 minutes over 12th-seeded Jonas Reckermann and Mischa Urbatzka of Germany, Dalhausser and Rogers shared the $43,500 first-place prize and each received the special commemorative Viking sword that goes to the champions. The Americans have medaled in their last six SWATCH FIVB World Tour participations. Reckermann and Urbatzka split $29,500 in netting their first-ever Grand Slam medal.

Playing first-time SWATCH “final four” participants Bram Ronnes and Emiel Boersma in Sunday’s second semi-final match, Dalhausser and Rogers scored a 21-19 and 21-13 win over the 13th-seeded team from the Netherlands. Prior to this week’s FIVB event, the Dutch’s best SWATCH finishes were fifths.

Reckermann and Urbatzka advanced to their third SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal match by defeating second-seeded compatriots Julius Brink and Christoph Dieckmann 21-18, 15-21 and 15-11 in Sunday’s first semi-final match.

In the ConocoPhillips Grand Slam bronze medal match, Brink and Dieckmann scored a 21-16 and 21-11 win in 42 minutes over Ronnes and Boersma to split the $23,000 third-place prize as Germany landed two teams on a SWATCH FIVB World Tour for the first-time since 2005 in Portugal.

The ConocoPhillips Grand Slam also featured women’s competition where Americans Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh posted a 21-13 and 21-14 win in 37 minutes over Vassiliki Arvaniti and Vasso Karadassiou of Greece.