Three years ago, this week in FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour history, Americans Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena captured their last international gold medal together by topping the podium on home sand in Florida.
The 2018 match on March 4 where Dalhausser and Lucena posted a 2-0 (21-12, 21-17) win in 39 minutes over Italian rivals Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai was the second of two gold medals awarded that day as Brazilians Fernanda Alves and Barbara Seixas captured the women’s title at the Fort Lauderdale Major.
Dalhausser and Lucena were nearly perfect in winning their six 2018 Fort Lauderdale matches by an average score of 21-16. The gold medal was the ninth World Tour title for the Americans pair, who had also won an FIVB crown two years earlier this week in international history by topping a podium in Maceió, Brazil.
Gold medal winners - USA's Nick Lucena (right) and Phil DalhausserFernanda and Barbara were also unbeaten in six matches in Fort Lauderdale but had to survive a 75-minute three-set semifinal match 2-1 (21-18, 26-28, 21-19) against Americans Summer Ross and Brooke Sweat to advance to the finals.
In the finals on the Atlantic Ocean beach, Fernanda and Barbara posted a 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) win in 42 minutes over compatriots Carolina Horta and Taiana Lima. It was the second of three World Tour gold medals for Fernanda and Barbara, who topped a third FIVB podium together two months later on a Pacific Ocean beach in California at Huntington Beach.
Here are the other FIVB gold medal winners for the February 28-March 6 time frame.
February 28
• In 1988, Karch Kiraly and Pat Powers of the United States won the Rio de Janeiro Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
• In 2016, Eduarda "Duda" Lisboa and Elize Maia of Brazil won the Maceió Open. It was the first of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
2016 Maceió Open winners Eduardo "Duda" Lisboa and Elize Maia of BrazilMarch 1
• In 1998, Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of Brazil won the Rio de Janeiro Open. It was the fifth of 31 World Tour wins for the team.
• In 1996, Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva of Brazil won the Rio de Janeiro Open. It was the fourth of 12 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
• In 2019, Armin Dollinger and Simon Kulzer of Germany won the Visakhapatnam Open in India. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
• In 2019, Martina Maixnerova and Martina Bonnerová Williams of the Czech Republic won the Visakhapatnam Open in India. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
Armin Dollinger (left) and Simon Kulzer of GermanyMarch 5
• In 1995, Sandra and Silva won the Rio de Janeiro Open. It was the second of 12 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
• In 2017, Christopher McHugh and Damien Schumann of Australia won the Shepparton Open. It was the first of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
• In 2017, Julie Gordon and Camille Saxton of Canada won the Shepparton Open. It was the first of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
2017 Shepparton men's and women's medal winners from Australia, Canada, Germany and New Zealand