Team(s)

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Position

High School

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College

Hometown

USAV Region

CareerTimeline

Most Notable

  • Volleyball icon Currently partnered with Sara Hughes
  • Volleyball icon Tied for 9th at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with Sarah Sponcil
  • Volleyball icon Former partners include: Betsi Flint (2022); Sarah Sponcil (2019-2021); Brittany Hochevar (2018), Sara Hughes (2013-2018) and Sarah Sponcil (2019-21)
  • Volleyball icon Made her official professional debut (post-graduation) with Sara Hughes at the 2017 FIVB Rio event, finishing 5th
  • Volleyball icon Has played tournaments with Olympic medalists Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross
  • Volleyball icon Three-time All-American with USC
  • Volleyball icon Kelly and Sara Hughes had a record of 147-4 playing together at USC
  • Volleyball icon With Sara Hughes, Kelly led USC to two NCAA titles in 2016 and 2017
  • Volleyball icon Went undefeated with partner Sara Hughes as a junior
  • Volleyball icon Won the AVCA Pairs National Championship with Sara Hughes in 2015
  • Volleyball icon 2012 U.S. Women's Junior Indoor National Training Team

Events

  • Medal 2024 BPT Doha Elite 16 - Bronze with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2023 Beach Pro Tour Finals - T9th with Sara Hughes
  • Medal 2023 Beach World Championships - Gold with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2023 BPT Paris Elite 16 - T5th with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2023 BPT Hamburg Elite 16 - T5th with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2023 BPT Montreal Elite 16 - T9th with Sara Hughes
  • Medal 2023 BPT Gstaad Elite 16 - Silver with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2023 BPT Ostrava Elite 16 - T5th with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2023 BPT Uberlandia Elite 16 - 4th with Sara Hughes
  • Medal 2023 BPT Tepic Elite 16 - Gold with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2023 BPT La Paz Challenge - T5th with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2023 BPT Doha Elite 16 - T5th with Sara Hughes
  • Medal 2022 BPT World Tour Finals - Gold with Sara Hughes
  • Medal 2022 BPT Torquay Elite 16 - Gold with Sara Hughes
  • Medal 2022 BPT Torquay Challenge - Gold with Sara Hughes
  • flag icon 2022 BPT Paris Elite 16 - 4th with Betsi Flint
  • Medal 2022 BPT Hamburg Elite 16 - Gold with Betsi Flint
  • flag icon 2022 BPT World Championship - T17th with Betsi Flint
  • flag icon 2021 BPT Jurmala Elite 16 - T9th with Betsi Flint
  • flag icon 2021 BPT Rosarito Elite 16 - 4th with Betsi Flint
  • flag icon 2021 FIVB World Tour Finals -T5th with Sarah Sponcil
  • 2020 Olympic Games - T9th with Sarah Sponcil
  • Medal 2021 FIVB Ostrava - Gold with Sarah Sponcil
  • Medal 2021 FIVB Sochi - Gold with Sarah Sponcil
  • Medal 2019 FIVB The Hague - Silver with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB Jinjiang - T5th with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB Ostrava - T9th with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB Warsaw - T9th with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB World Championships - T9th with Sarah Sponcil
  • Medal 2019 FIVB Espinho - Silver with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB Tokyo - T5th with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB Moscow - T5th with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB Rome (World Tour Finals) - T9th with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB Qinzhou - T9th with Sarah Sponcil
  • flag icon 2019 FIVB Chetumal - T5th with Sarah Sponcil
  • Medal Top 2018 finishes include: Silver with Brittany Hochevar at FIVB Xiamen; 4th at FIVB Poland with Hochevar; Bronze at FIVB Qinzhou with Sarah Sponcil
  • Medal 2016 World University Games - Gold with Sarah Hughes
  • Medal 2014 FIVB U21 World Championships - Bronze with Sara Hughes
  • Medal 2013 USA Volleyball Beach High Performance Championships - Gold in U19 with Sara Hughes
  • Medal 2013 FIVB U19 World Championships - Bronze with Sara Hguhes

Personal Highlights

  • Volleyball icon Born in 1995
  • Volleyball icon Married Jordan Cheng in 2022... née Claes
  • Volleyball icon Parents are Paul and Quincy Claes; father played baseball for two years at San Diego State
  • Volleyball icon Has two brothers and one sister
  • Volleyball icon Graduated from high school a semester early to join USC's beach volleyball program
  • Volleyball icon Has played sitting volleyball at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships
  • Volleyball icon Calls herself a geek, enjoys video games, Dungeons and Dragons, anime, comic conventions

Kelly on the USA Volleyball Show

  • Tips for being becoming a pro beach player“Move on from each play. You’re going to learn so much more from those mistakes and taking those risks. It’s what’s going to make you better. If you go in to play safe and tight, you’re not going to be smooth and you’re not going to learn from it. Also, watch film. Watch the pros. You can take pieces from everybody’s game and make it your own.”