Phil Dalhausser

The reigning Olympic gold medalist with partner Todd Rogers, Dalhausser is seeking to remain king of the Olympic beach. The No. 2-ranked tandem in the world has authored a successful partnership since 2006, winning 64 tournament titles, and they've failed to reach the semifinals only four times in their last 42 tournaments dating to 2007. Dalhausser and Rogers opened the 2012 FIVB season with a title in China in May and also won the Brasilia Open this year. Nicknamed "The Thin Beast" due to his lithe frame, Dalhausser was the tournament MVP in Beijing in 2008, capped by a five-block performance in the third and deciding set of the gold medal match against Brazil. Born in Switzerland, Dalhausser did not begin playing volleyball until his senior year of high school and only played at the club level collegiately at Central Florida. Along with Rogers, he shares the FIVB record for consecutive match wins (40) that came as part of a staggering seven-tournament win streak in 2010-11. He was the 2010 FIVB Most Outstanding Player as part of a clean sweep that also saw him and Rogers win Team of the Year and Tour Champion. He is a four-time FIVB Best Blocker and Best Hitter award winner as well as a three-time Best Setter and Top Offensive Player winner.