Tampa's Phil Dalhausser is part of the men's beach volleyball team that won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics along with Todd Rogers. However, they were knocked out of the round of 16 on Friday against the Italian team. Players Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo beat the Americans in straight sets, 21-17, 21-19.
The statistics on both sides appear to be fairly even. Both teams had the same number of faults and about the same number of service aces and attack attempts. The big difference in the statistics is blocks. The Italian team managed five blocks during the match, while the Americans could only muster one.
The Italians now wait to see who they will face in the quarterfinals. They will match up against either the team from the Netherlands or the team from Switzerland which will begin on 9 a.m. on Saturday. The other American team, made up of players Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, will take on the Russian team Saturday at 5 p.m.
For more on local Olympians, check out SB Nation Tampa Bay's 2012 Olympics StoryStream. For more from around the games, head over to SB Nation's London 2012 Olympics Hub Page.