Seeded fourth in the 32-team Moscow Main Draw, Dalhausser and Lucena scored their second-straight win over a Russian pair by posting a 2-1 (21-17, 22-24, 18-16) win in 52 minutes over Krasilnikov and Liamin. With the victory, the Americans split the US$10,000 first-place prize while Krasilnikov and Liamin shared $8,000 for their silver medal finish.
To start Sunday’s podium-place schedule, 15th-seeded and 2014 Youth Olympic champions Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Artem Yarzutkin of Russia captured the bronze medal with a 2-1 (18-21, 21-14, 15-8) win in 41 minutes over top-seeded Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins of Latvia. The Russians shared $5,000 for third-place and Samoilovs and Smedins split $4,000.
To reach Sunday’s finale, Dalhausser and Lucena scored a 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) semi-final win Saturday in 31 minutes over Stoyanovskiy and Yarzutkin while Krasilnikov and Liamin posted an identical 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) semi-final win Saturday in 33 minutes over Samoilovs and Smedins.
Sunday’s gold medal was Dalhausser’s second in Moscow as he and Todd Rogers topped the 2008 podium. Known as “the thin beast”, Dalhausser placed second and third with Rogers in 2010 and 2011 in Moscow along with a bronze medal finish with Sean Rosenthal in 2014. The best Lucena finish for Lucena in the Russian capital were ninths with Matt Fuerbringer in 2010 and 2012.
Dalhausser and Lucena, who have a 27-6 record in winning three-set FIVB matches, have now collected 14 FIVB World Tour medals and claimed their second this season as the Americans placed third at the SWATCH Major Series event this past February in their home state of Florida at Fort Lauderdale. Fifth-place finishers at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Dalhausser and Lucena have now compiled a 112-26 match mark together.
The Moscow title was also Dalhausser’s 35th FIVB World Tour gold medal as he ranks third all-time on the men’s list behind legendary Brazilians Emanuel Rego (77) and Ricardo Santos (56). Six of his international titles have been with Lucena along with 23 gold medals with Rogers and six crowns with Sean Rosenthal.
Krasilnikov and Liamin were competing in only their fifth FIVB World Tour event with a gold medal together earlier this season in Iran on Kish Island. The Russians, who were upset in their first match this week by a young Norwegian team, have a 14-7 FIVB World Tour record together.
Viacheslav Krasilnikov (right) of Russia hits against American Phil Dalhausser in Sunday's men's gold meal match
Following the Moscow stop, the FIVB World Tour takes a week off before resuming play June 15-18 for a “three-star” $150,000 event in The Netherlands at The Hague.
The Moscow men's and women's podium featuring players from Brazil, Russia and the United States. The back row (left to right) includes Sweat, Ross, Talita, Larissa, Agatha and Duda. The front row includes Liamin, Krasilnikov, Dalhausser, Lucena, Yarzutkin and Stoyanovskiy.
Highlighting the 2017 international calendar for men and women Beach Volleyball players will be the $1-million FIVB World Championships July 28 through August 6 in Vienna, Austria and the $800,000 SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals August 23-27 in Hamburg, Germany. Overall, there are 15 men’s and 19 women’s events on the $5.335-million FIVB World Tour schedule.
