Towering advantage

By BOB PUTNAM
Published June 1, 2007

Phil Dalhausser, 6 feet 9, serves during a children's clinic outside the St. Pete Times Forum. Dalhausser is the second-tallest player on the AVP tour, just shorter than Sean Rooney.
	[Brian Cassella | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [AP Photo] Dalhausser, right, is a top offensive threat.

The demands of beach volleyball are clearly different from those of the indoor game. There are only two players to a side, with no substitutions, so all players must be all things. They must block, dig, set, spike and serve. One of the most skilled is Phil Dalhausser.

At 6 feet 9, Dalhausser is the second-tallest player on the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour. Because of his height, he can block shots or slam the ball past an opponent for a perfect spike.

He has been named the AVP's top offensive player twice.

"Phil is changing the game, " said Karch Kiraly, widely considered the Michael Jordan of his sport.

Dalhausser, 27, and Todd Rogers, 23, are the best men's team on the AVP tour. The two have won five titles this year. Today, they are scheduled to play in the main draw at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

"There's a lot of hand-eye coordination involved in being a great player, " Dalhausser said.

"Of course, being tall helps."

The accidental star

Dalhausser did not start whacking volleyballs out of the womb. He was a tennis and basketball player whose background includes two years of high school indoor volleyball and four years of pickup games along the beach while attending Central Florida.

"I got a late start compared to some of the other players, " he said.

"But the sport was natural to me. I could pick things up pretty quick."

After graduating from UCF, Dalhausser worked odd jobs, including painting houses.

"I didn't even need a ladder, " he said. "I would paint the top trim, and a friend of mine would paint the bottom."

The work wasn't steady enough, so Dalhausser decided in 2003 to give beach volleyball a try.

He played in open qualifiers before making it to the main draw.

Last year, he teamed with Rogers to form a net supremacy at the beach. The duo became the first men's team to win four consecutive AVP tournaments since Kiraly and Adam Johnson in 1997.

"We work well together, " Dalhausser said. "I now feel like I'm coming into my own."

And he wants to keep it going.

Dalhausser, nicknamed "The Thin Beast, " trains by running in the sand with weights attached to his waist. That helps him maintain a high metabolism.

"I've got to do what I can to get better, " Dalhausser said.

Bob Putnam can be reached at putnam@sptimes.com or 727 445-4169.

Fast Facts:

AVP tour in Tampa

Location: Grounds of the St. Pete Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa

Tickets: Courtside seats $44.75, general admission $24.75. Call (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.

Thursday's results: Tara Kruk (Palm Harbor)-Kim Whitney (Dunedin) and Joe Cash (St. Petersburg)-Matt Henderson (Tampa) were among eight who advanced in the men's and women's qualifiers.

Today's schedule: Main draw, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

[Last modified June 1, 2007, 08:10:51]