Lack of practice has little effect

Todd Rogers expected the increased autograph requests. He expected the increased media attention. He didn’t expect, however, to see his practice time with playing partner Phil Dalhausser diminish.

“It was almost impossible because it was so busy,” said Rogers, who won the gold medal with Dalhausser in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

As the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) gears up for its second tour stop of the season, the Crocs Tour Riverside Open this weekend, Rogers and Dalhausser are deemed the undisputed favorites in the men’s field. The duo, seeded No. 1, faces eighth-seeded John Mayer and Jeff Nygaard at noon today after easing through the first two rounds on Friday.

They played together in mid-January in Rio de Janeiro, but other obligations prevented them from practicing again until two weeks ago, only a week before the season opener in Panama City, Fla.

Rogers missed time with Dalhausser because of obligations in competing in four AVP indoor volleyball events called “Hot Winter Nights.” They also lost another week when Dalhausser went to Saipan for a friend’s wedding.

They secured the first men’s tournament of the season by winning against Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal in the final, after losing the first set of the match. Even though Rogers would’ve liked more practice time, he feels confident he and Dalhausser can stay on top.

Rogers sees any accomplishment this year as simply “frosting on the cake.” After all, it’s hard to top a gold medal and being named the AVP team of the year in 2008. They won 11 of 15 AVP events in 2008 and 10 of 17 in 2007. The duo also earned a medal last year in each of the seven international events. They won in four of them.

Rogers thinks that approach will help ease the pressure he and Dalhausser may face this year in securing their dominance in the men’s field. It also will help, Roger says, when he decides his future this season. Rogers said he’s committed to AVP tournaments through 2010, but he won’t decide whether he’ll compete afterward, including the 2012 Olympics in London. If he ultimately decides to go for another medal, Rogers expects he’ll play through 2016 or 2017.

Rogers predicted Dalhausser would make another Olympics run “barring a disaster.” Dalhausser wasn’t available for comment.

And if this year is the last chapter for the Rogers-Dalhausser partnership, Rogers will already be satisfied with their legacy even if it has limited their practice time this year.

“The extra attention was lucrative for us,” Rogers said. “It was worth it from that perspective.”

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