Dalhausser, Patterson proving `old guys still got it'

HERMOSA BEACH » Phil Dalhausser spiked the ball onto the sand on Friday afternoon for a second-set lead at the opening match of the AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open. His partner Casey Patterson, who set him up, let out a celebratory yell. For the pair of 42-year-olds who have both done just about everything on the beach volleyball circuit, it was like clockwork.

The big difference this year is that Dalhausser and Patterson are playing together, debuting as partners at the New Orleans Open in May. They won that tournament, and rolled through their first two matches at Hermosa Beach on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals today.

That included a 29-27 marathon second-set win over Chase Budinger and Troy Field in the second match to finish the sweep, showing they still have the endurance along with the skillset.

Winning, though, wasn’t the only thing on their minds when they decided to partner up in their 40s.

“We are at the point of our careers where we get to do it for fun versus for a living,” Patterson said. “It almost rejuvenates you and gets you excited to play again, versus stress and pressure to compete and win every event.”

Dalhausser and Patterson certainly have the luxury of playing for fun at this point. Dalhausser has made more than $2.5 million in his career in winnings, and Patterson has made $765,000, according to the Beach Volleyball Database.

Dalhausser, a four-time Olympian who lives in Ventura, retired from international competition after the 2020 Olympics but clearly has a lot left in the tank. He already notched AVP wins this season at the New Orleans Open with Patterson, as well as the season opener in Austin with Andy Benesh.

Dalhausser’s legend at Hermosa Beach dates back more than a decade, when he won the Hermosa Beach Open five straight years with Todd Rogers from 2006 to 2010.

In a vast understatement, Dalhausser said he’s done “alright” in the sport, making enough to not have to worry about providing for his family.

“It’s kind of like more of a hobby,” Dalhausser said. “And the hobby is you make a little couple bucks in the process.”

Patterson, who is from Newbury Park and made the U.S. Olympic Team in 2016, has 18 career wins on the AVP Tour. Like Dalhausser, age appears to be just a number to Patterson, who won two of last year’s three events.

But the beach volleyball load for both of them is much more low-key these days. Dalhausser is also focused on running his beach volleyball academy in Florida. Patterson also coaches and runs social media for a solar company. They trained just twice together before the Hermosa Beach Open, relying more on their decades of experience.

The $62,500 the two would split between them if they win at Hermosa Beach isn’t overly high on their priority list.

“We don’t need to come win money here,” Patterson said. “We just get to come and try to win. For us, it’s more about the legacy than the dollar now. Before, it was both.”

Patterson has been eyeing an opportunity for some time to play with Dalhausser, who he called “the most dominant player on the planet for as long as I can remember.” Patterson switched from being a blocker to a defender with the hopes of one day teaming up with Dalhausser, a decision that eventually paid off “a little while longer than I wanted.”

Dalhausser recalls Patterson as being an energetic player and “a little annoying to play against,” and appreciates now having Patterson’s energy and high IQ on his side of the court.

Both of them are eager to bring up their victory in New Orleans, winning the tournament with a 15-9 third-set blitz in the final match against Noah Dyer and Chase Frishman.

“We got some crucial blocks, I got a bunch of digs and we just together got in that zone, so it was really fun to play,” Patterson said. “That was my favorite moment so far.”

Dalhausser described beating their younger peers a little more succinctly.

“It’s fun to beat them up a little bit,” Dalhausser said. “Be a little like: ‘The old guys still got it.’ ”

They’ll hope to keep showing the youngsters more lessons in Hermosa Beach — while having some fun in the process.

Day 1 upset

The biggest upset of Friday’s action came when Hagen Smith and Jake Dietrich, the 16-seed in the men’s bracket, beat the topseeded Trevor Crabb and Tri Bourne to send them to the contenders bracket. Crabb and Bourne face elimination today.