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Phil Dalhausser’s AVP Dominance Over the Years

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Watching Phil Dalhausser win an AVP while playing defense was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in my eight years following the AVP. 

That win gave Phil his 60th AVP Title, and he’s now won with four different partners – Todd Rogers, Sean Rosenthal, Nick Lucena, and Andy Benesh. He’s heading into the upcoming New Orleans Open with yet another partner, a fellow staple on the 21st Century volleyball scene – Casey Patterson. 

Phil and Casey have never won or even played an AVP together, but they have 77 AVP wins between them. They’re also two of the hottest players on Tour right now – Casey won the 2021 Unofficial MVP with his three Finals appearances and two Championship titles. And, of course, Phil just shook all of us in Austin. They have a solid chance of winning NOLA, giving Phil his fifth winning partnership. Crazy cool. Like I needed more crazy cool Phil stuff. 

The day after Phil and Andy won in Austin, I texted AVP’s resident stat guru Doug Strauss asking for some history on Phil’s amazingness. I woke up the next morning to an incredible document in my inbox. 

Please enjoy Doug’s brilliance in outlining Phil’s dominance.

​​Phil Dalhausser’s eight Season Opener wins are the most in AVP history. He won in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022. 

Phil just won his 60th AVP title. Only five other male players have reached that mark:

  • Karch Kiraly 
  • Kent Steffes
  • Randy Stoklos 
  • Sinjin Smith 
  • Mike Dodd

But all of these men played in an era that saw 20-27 tournaments a year.  The AVP has had 69 total events since the start of the 2010 season, most of Phil’s prime years.  

Among the top six men in AVP victories, Dalhausser has won 41% of all the tournaments entered. He trails only Kent Steffes (46.8%) in that category. 

His 74.1% winning percentage in Championship matches is second only to Steffes at 76.1%.  

One side note about the victory tally is that the AVP has had six tournaments that were never completed due to weather. Four canceled Finals (including one that Phil was slated to play in) gave ties without crediting any wins. But twice, the AVP gave wins to multiple players. Dodd, Sinjin, and Stoklos all got two wins from canceled matches. 

Here is a look at the top six players on the AVP’s all-time wins list, both with totals and then by percentages of tournaments entered:

Wins 2nd 3rd 4th Finals Semis

Events

Karch Kiraly 122 52 43 12 174 229 301
Kent Steffes 102 32 20 12 134 166 218
Randy Stoklos 96 74 43 21 170 234 307
Sinjin Smith 92 54 30 10 146 186 241
Mike Dodd 62 73 63 32 135 230 309
Phil Dalhausser 60 21 21 1 81 103 145
Wins 2nd 3rd 4th Finals Semis Events
Karch Kiraly 40.5% 17.3% 14.3% 4.0% 57.8% 76.1% 301
Kent Steffes 46.8% 14.7% 9.2% 5.5% 61.5% 76.1% 218
Randy Stoklos 31.3% 24.1% 14.0% 6.8% 55.4% 76.2% 307
Sinjin Smith 38.2% 22.4% 12.4% 4.1% 60.6% 77.2% 241
Mike Dodd 20.1% 23.6% 20.4% 10.4% 43.7% 74.4% 309
Phil Dalhausser 41.4% 14.5% 14.5% 0.7% 55.9% 71.0% 145

 

Entering the 2022 New Orleans Open, Dalhausser has compiled a career AVP Main Draw match record of 564-142 (79.9%). More impressively, since Phil’s fourth year on Tour in 2006, he is 491-88 (84.8%).  

Dalhausser had to pull out of the tournament in Atlanta to begin the 2021 AVP season, which marked the sixth time in his AVP career that his event ended in a forfeit loss.  

Since winning in Austin in 2005, Dalhausser won at least one title (AVP or FIVB) in each of the past 16 seasons until that streak ended in 2021. 

Statistically, Dalhausser has led the Tour in blocks in 10 different seasons (2nd three times, 3rd once). He led in hitting percentage 11 times (2nd twice). He led in aces twice (2nd three times, 3rd four times, 4th twice). In 2009 and 2020, he led the Tour in all three of those categories.

————

Thank you, Doug!!! 

Also – did you catch that Phil has won an event in all of the last 16 seasons until the streak ended last year? The year when he played only one full AVP. Woah. 

Phil’s winning percentage floored me. Since getting his bearings on Tour in 2006, he has won 85% of his matches. And in his entire career, Phil has won 41.4% of the AVPs he’s entered. WHAT?! 

As Dan and Shay would say: I’m speechless. 

Phil may be in the twilight of his career, as is Casey. But after seeing what just happened in Austin, I believe anything is possible. Will Phil get his fifth winning partnership? Will Phil’s former partners Andy Benesh and Nick Lucena take the cake? Or will a new 2022 AVP Champion arise? 

Also – hey Phil, maybe drag Kent Steffes out of retirement for the Hermosa Beach Open? I mean he’s only four years older than John Hyden.

 

Category: Athlete Stories, From Our Beach, Past Seasons

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