MASON, Ohio -- Todd Rogers will have to wait a few more days before he can return to the comfort of his own bed in Santa Barbara. But he's OK with it. After all, he and teammate Phil Dalhausser have more beach volleyball to promote.

On Monday, the two will have another big stage as they join approximately 150 Olympic medalists on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in Chicago. When Rogers gets to meet Oprah, he's got one basic question.

"It's a great opportunity to get beach volleyball out there," Rogers. "I know she's going to have a lot of the guests -- all the medalists -- but it'll be a fun time. I'm going to ask her when she's having us over. We're neighbors, after all. Well, maybe, we're not exactly neighbors, but she has a big house in Santa Barbara. I might ask her, 'Hey, I'm thinking about having a gold medal party. Can we have it at your house?'"

While they're partying on Oprah's property, he and Dalhausser also can celebrate their victory Sunday at the AVP Crocs Cup Shootout in Mason.

Sweeping every match they played this weekend -- no other team, in fact, pushed them past 21 points -- the top-seeded team of Rogers and Dalhausser finished the tournament in style, beating No. 3 seed Nick Lucena and Sean Scott 21-15, 21-19 on Sunday afternoon to defend their Mason title.

For Rogers, it was a low-pressure event -- especially a week after triumphing with the gold medal in Beijing -- filled with good times.

"It's been less pressure," Rogers said. "A little tired from the travel. Mentally, a little drained from playing in Beijing. Phil and I came out and had fun and just kind of enjoyed ourselves all weekend. The travel has been more difficult, but we only played seven matches in like 14 days. We're fresh. We're very fresh."

It seemed like it Sunday. They had little problems in the first game, jumping out to a 19-12 lead and cruising in for the remainder of the frame. Rogers and Dalhausser, in that game, showed why they always have dominated the team of Lucena and Scott -- with Sunday's win, Rogers and Dalhausser improved to 8-0 lifetime against them.

"Todd digs Sean outstanding," Dalhausser said. "He's on every ball -- or at least touches it."

Lucena and Scott made it a bit tougher in the second game, winning four-straight points midway through to take a 13-11 lead. But Rogers and Dalhausser quickly erased the deficit.

"They're a good team," Rogers said. "I got in a little funk and I gave up three points in a row. We came back real strong, real quick."

And then they made the play of the match.

With Rogers and Dalhausser leading 19-18, Scott attempted the kill, but Rogers blocked it, sending the ball high in the air, far beyond the backline. Dalhausser tracked it down, and made an improbable set for Rogers, who spiked it to end the point.

"Sean banged it and caught me up high," Rogers said. "I tried to get it as high as I could in the air. It flew way over there, Phil ran over and chucked it up about eight feet off (the net). I just went for it. I got, basically, lucky. It hit the top of the tape and dribbled over just out of Sean's reach. Part of it is luck and part of it is skill."

Rogers hopes that combination will help next week when the AVP Crocs Tour returns to Santa Barbara -- the home of he and Oprah.

"That will be utterly awesome," Rogers said. We're flying back to Chicago for Oprah, but I'm just going to enjoy sleeping in my bed for 10 days straight and having the whole family and friends there. It's kind of an opportunity to celebrate what we did in Beijing. Hopefully, we'll win that one too. I'll be fired up to win."

First, though, Rogers and Dalhausser will have to contend with Oprah -- which, at the very least, should make Dalhausser's girlfriend happy.

"I don't watch, but my girlfriend TIVo's it every day," Dalhausser said. "That's what my TIVo is full of. It drives me crazy because she never erases the old ones. But everything helps in promoting the sport. We're really trying to get beach volleyball as a main sport in the U.S. It's possible in the Olympics. Why can't it be possible all the time?"