Dalhausser, Rogers have enough in tank

After Phil Dalhausser made a match-winning block, he and playing partner Todd Rogers wrapped their arms around each other in the center of Stadium Court.

The No. 1 duo’s 17-21, 21-19, 15-8 victory Sunday in the Crocs Tour Riverside Open finals over second-seeded Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal concluded a three-day stretch consisting of eight matches and the need to save energy. After losing in the third round Friday, Dalhausser and Rogers navigated their way through the loser’s bracket by limiting their warmups and in-match celebrations.

They didn’t need to worry about conserving energy during their hug, though. The 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalists secured their second tour win of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ 2009 season through the loser’s bracket, a feat they accomplished in 2007 after falling before the fourth round in the Manhattan Beach Open

“If I wasn’t so tired, I would have celebrated a lot more vocally,” Rogers said. “Once you fall in the loser’s bracket, don’t waste energy. If you can’t get the ball, don’t go for it. If you celebrate every point, you’re going to be exhausted.”

“It’s frustrating to lose to that team every time,” Rosenthal said. He and Gibb lost to Dalhausser and Rogers in last week’s season-opening finals in Panama City, Fla.

The women’s field also repeated history. Top-seeded Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh defeated No. 2-seeded April Ross and Jen Kessy, 21-18, 21-14, after also unseating them last week. It dropped Kessy and Ross to 0-9 in AVP finals.

“We try to win every time just like we try to win every other match,” Ross said. “I don’t know why it hasn’t happened for us. We had chances.”

But Youngs and Branagh prevailed, Kessy said, because they played the best defense they ever had against her.

Youngs and Branagh credited the even-keel approach of new coach Mike Dodd, a silver medalist in the 1996 Olympics. They previously worked with Liz Masakayan. Branagh said Dodd’s emphasis on pacing has helped her think, “I don’t have to make the perfect play.”

“Sometimes they rushed things so much,” Dodd said. “They put so much pressure on their athleticism that they didn’t give themselves time to breathe and then make really good strong approaches in their transitions. They used to squander so many point opportunities.”

The calmer approach paid off for Youngs and Branagh, while conservative play helped Dalhausser and Rogers fight fatigue. There was also one thing that kept both teams going, despite the need to conserve energy, play calm and spend countless time in the air-conditioned players’ lounge.

“We hate to lose,” Dalhausser said. “It wasn’t exactly as planned. But this definitely helps our confidence going through all the top teams.”

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mark.medina@latimes.com