Phil Dalhausser is one of the most recognizable names in the American Beach Volleyball scene.
Born in Switzerland in 1980, Phil emigrated to the U.S.A. and attended high school in Daytona Beach, Florida. Phil is one of those rare athletes who did not begin playing his sport until his senior year in high school!
It wasn’t straight to beach volleyball glory and fame for Phil. He went to the University of Central Florida where he earned a business degree and play on a club volleyball team. After graduating he got a job with a concrete company.
He now lives in California and continues to play at the highest level of his sport. In 2011 he married Jennifer Corral, another professional beach volleyball player. They have two children.
Phil Dalhausser in Tokyo 2020
Will Phil Dalhausser be in Toko for the Summer Olympic Games in 2020?
At the time of this writing, he and his current partner Nick Lucena are the 3rd-ranked men’s team from the U.S. So even though they’re in the top 20 teams in the world, they could be left out in the cold.
The Olympic qualifying process is complicated and has a few wild-card slots, but in general, it’s based on your team results during tournaments for the 20 months leading up to the deadline. The deadline for Tokyo qualifying is June 14th, 2020.
Phil and Nick can still qualify, but they’re going to need to rank high to overtake one of the other American teams to win a spot.
Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers
Before teaming up with Phil, Todd Rogers had been a pro for 11 years. He saw potential in Phil and decided to team up with him, becoming both his partner and his coach. He believed Phil could become one of the best players in the world, and he was right!
Phil and Todd exploded onto the international scene as a powerful force in 2007 winning the AVP Tour and also taking the Gold medal in the FIVB World Championships.
They would repeat as being named “Team of the Year” for the AVP Tour for 3 years in a row. In each of these seasons, Phil was named the MVP. In 2008, they teamed up to win the Gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
In 2009 they placed 3rd at the FIVB World Championships, for the Bronze medal.
Phil Dalhausser’s Individual Awards
On the AVP Tour, personal awards are given out year. The following are Phil’s accolades:
| Award (AVP Tour) | Year(s) |
| Most Improved Player | 2006 |
| Best Blocker | 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Best Server | 2017 |
| Best Offensive Player | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Most Valuable Player | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2017 |
Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena
Phil and Nick teamed up at the beginning of their careers from 2003 to 2005.
Years later, Phil and Nick teamed up once again in 2015 and went to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, but unfortunately didn’t have the results they were looking for. The made it to the quarterfinal round, where they lost to the top-ranked home team from Brazil.
Phil and Nick won the AVP Tour in 2017, and Phil again won the MVP Award.
Phil and Nick have decided to make a final run at the Olympics in 2020 before Phil will really consider whether it’s time to retire.
How Tall Is Phil Dalhausser?
Phil is 6’9″ and his nickname is “The Thin Beast”.
His height and long reach give him an edge but make no mistake, it’s not just anyone who is 6’9″ that can dominate the net the way he does.
It takes talent to be able to move and jump on the sand and to be able to succeed at the Olympic level.
Phil has made the most of his natural gifts with a lot of hard work and training.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Dalhausser
https://www.fivb.com/en/beachvolleyball/rankingmen
Photo Credits:
Feature image by Craig Maccubbin on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Serving image by Cyril Caton on flickr.com: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Phil, Todd & George W. Bush image available in the public domain: White House (Eric Draper)
Tall image by Jasonschock – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Phil_dalhausser_with_ball.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4679822
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