Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb Crushed Again by Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser
Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb were showing signs that this year would be their time to shine, after having defeated 2-1 (11-21, 22-20, 15-7) the usually invincible Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser winning over their countrymen in 51 minutes. The Americans had faced each other early on the Gstaad AVP Tour tournament, in Switzerland, and Gibb and Rosenthal had been able to overcome the 2008 Olympic gold medalists.
Rosenthal and Gibb were fierce players during the tournament--being the top team of their pool--and reached the semi-finals with success. It is only then that the Americans fell to meet the unstoppable Rogers and Dalhausser, which had now the opportunity to avenge their early loss in the tournament.
After losing to Germans David Klemperer and Eric Koreng, earning only a bronze medal at Grand Slam event in Stavenger, Rogers and Dalhausser were serious about defeating their countrymen. They won 21-18, 16-21, 18-16, a long match that lasted for more than an hour. The two Americans Gibb and Rosenthal had falsely believed themselves to be unstoppable, after defeating Rogers and Dalhausser early on.
They however had still performed brilliantly against the top-seeded team. Rosenthal, currently ranked AVP 11th, has an impressivle profile. He has, along three other players in the world, managed to rank in the top 10 for five seasons from 2003 to 2007.
A long road for Rosenthal
Rosenthal entered his first professional beach volleyball competition at Hermosa Beach in 1997, with his prior partner Sean Smith, with whom he finished then 49th. He then changed partners several times before meeting Gibb, who is one of the few players in the AVP tournament to never have played volleyball in college. The American Gibb used to play golf and basketball at the time, and only started beach volleyball when he turned 21. It was quite different for his partner Rosenthal: Gibb entered his first championship in 2000, three years after Rosenthal’s first, and competed in five AVP events, ranking at best 17th.
Rosenthal and Gibb teamed-up in 2006, and won in Ft. Lauderdale their first tournament, which had $50 000 in prize money—the largest amount since 1997. They kept competing together afterward, and entered the Grand Slam in Paris, finishing second.
They won the Championship in Acapulco, Mexico, after finishing second in Vitoria, Brazil. In addition to these titles, they won three FIVB medals in their first year together, and Rosenthal earned the mention of best FIVB rookie. Gibb was also the only player ranked in the top five for four consecutive years in all four seasons of the AVP, which he achieved between 2004 and 2007.
In 2009, Gibb and Rosenthal won the bronze medal in Poland. They entered the Norwegian World Championships in Stavenger, but were then eliminated by its eventual champions. The wheel turned for the Americans, who had to face their most challenging test yet as partners, due to Rosenthal’s injury right before the AVP final. This problem left a small amount of available options for Gibb, who ultimately teamed up with Matt Olsen to play in Glendale.
While such events might have separated many volleyball partners, Gibb and Rosenthal quickly teamed up again, and continued competing together, from the moment Rosenthal was able to play again. The two began the 2010 season with a ninth place in the AVP season opener, and then a second place in Santa Barabara.
Now Rosenthal, along with his partner Gibb are preparing for the next AVP World Series in Marseille, France. This event will begin next Tuesday for the men, and has a money prize of $190 000. Unfortunately for the American duo, their rivals and recently gold medalists, Rogers and Dalhausser will be participating as well.
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