Top seeds rule at AVP

Mon, Aug 24, 2009    to del.icio.us

Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, Olympic gold medalists at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, struck gold once again before a packed house at Stadium Court in Muskegon on Sunday.

The duo, the top seed in the men's Assocation of Volleyball Professionals Tour, defeated the fourth-seeded team of Brad Keenan and Nick Lucena in the finals of the AVP Crocs Tour Muskegon Open at the Pere Marquette Beach. The final score was 22-20, 21-10.

The victory was Dalhausser and Rogers' seventh victory this season on the AVP Tour and their third in a row. Sunday's finals continued a stellar 29-match win streak for the dominating duo.

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The pair struggled to find its grove in Game 1, as Keenan and Lucena had game-point with a 20-19 lead, but couldn't close the deal. A matter of tournament experience might have played a role, as Dalhausser and Rogers have 44 tournament victories together. Keenan and Lucena are still in search for their first.

A clutch kill and block from Rogers — the Tour's top defensive player the past four seasons — helped sway the momentum and helped his team score three of the game's final four points.

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The 6-foot-9 Dalhausser played a big role in the one-sided Game 2 score, using his tremendous wingspan to wreak havoc at the net with a number of blocks.

In the women's final, the top seed ruled as well, as Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs rolled to a two-game victory over fourth-seeded Priscilla Lima and Tatiana Minello, 21-14, 24-22.

The victory is the eighth this season for Branagh and Youngs on the AVP Tour and Youngs' 50th career title. It puts her sixth on the all-time wins list.

Sunday's men's and women's finals will be broadcast nationally on Versus on Thursday at 11 p.m. and again on Aug. 31 at 4 p.m.