That was when they were playing mere Earthlings.

"Phil (Dalhausser) is like a Martian from another planet," Jennings said today after losing to the 6-foot-9 Dalhausser and Todd Rogers in the finals 21-16, 21-12. "He was just like a train, and we had a BB gun. You don't win that battle."

Dalhausser and Rogers won for the eighth time in 13 tries on the domestic AVP tour this season and the third time in four weeks. That's not including their world championship victory last month in Gstaad, Switzerland, when they joined women's winners Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh for an American sweep.

Walsh and May-Treanor were scheduled to play the quarterfinals on Saturday night, with the final two rounds on Sunday.

Dalhausser and Rogers ran off six consecutive points in the first game and had a 7-0 run in the second to improve to 16-3 in championship matches. They picked up $28,000 — to split.

The towering Dalhausser was a big reason why.

His four aces and six blocks alone were more than Fuerbringer and Jennings could handle; he also connected with a match-high .500 hit percentage. But that's the usual domain for a big man in beach volleyball.

Dalhausser also showed he could play defense — pulling out eight digs to go with 14 by Rogers.

"Phil, you were pretty silly out there," Rogers said. "I've got to say: Nice work."

Partners for just two years, Dalhausser and Rogers are the leading American men's team in the two-year points race to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In just five events _ the best eight finishes count in the standings — they have 2,760 points; Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal have 1,720 and Punahou alums Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger have 1,320.

"He's playing at such a high level right now," Jennings said. "And Todd is a stud as well. The professor is back there doing what he does. They just combine really well."

The Olympic beach volleyball medal round is exactly one year away.

"I hope they're No. 1 and the gold medal (winners)," Jennings said. "I hope they make it."

This was the AVP's first stop in Boston since the tour re-organized in 2001, and the event lucked into a sunny but windy day overlooking a marina in suburban Quincy. The 5,000-seat stadium was full.

"I've got a feeling we'll be back for many years to come," said AVP commissioner Leonard Armato, who used to be the agent for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal and Oscar de la Hoya.

With a master of ceremonies directing fans in the wave, bikini-clad AVP tour dancers cheering the players on and a Fenway Park-style singalong of "Sweet Caroline," the crowd quickly warmed to the sport.

"I have been playing for 10-11 years, and this is the single-best first-time event I've seen," said Rogers, who was headed to Fenway afterwards to watch the Red Sox play the Los Angeles Angels. The two volleyball champions wore Red Sox temporary tattoos on their shoulder.