Beach Update: Kloth and Nuss Make it Three Medals out of Last Four in 2024

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 28, 2024) – Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss secured another gold medal on the FIVB Beach Pro Tour, two months out from the Paris games. Miles Evans and Chase Budinger extended their lead over Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner with two tournaments to go before the U.S. Olympic teams are finalized. One of those tournaments begins this week, as Challenge Stare Jablonki will feature the two men’s teams vying for that final spot.

Elite 16 Espinho

Kloth and Nuss made it back-to-back podiums in their two most recent BPT events. They stood on the top step in Portugal with gold medals as the winners of Elite 16 Espinho.

TKN highlighted their run in the elimination phase with a commanding 2-0 win (21-17, 21-15) over No. 1 ranked Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA) in the quarterfinal. From there, it was a 2-0 win over Stam and Schoon (NED) (22-20, 21-13), which put them in the final vs. Huberli/Brunner (SUI).

The fight for gold went three sets and saw the U.S. pair take the win (17-21, 28-26, 15-10).

“It was such a battle,” Nuss told Volleyball World. “I think we to go three every single time against that Swiss team; they are phenomenal athletes. It was pretty fun just to battle this wind. The stadium was packed for the finals and for us athletes, it means a lot to play in this atmosphere.”

The win makes it three medals, including two gold, in the last four international events for Kloth and Nuss, going back to the 2023 Beach Pro Tour Finals. Kloth and Nuss took silver in their last tournament, the Elite 16 Brasilia.

On the men’s side of the tournament, Miles Partain/Andy Benesh advanced out of pool play but fell in the round of 12 to Ehlers/Wickler (GER). The German pair then faced Miles Evans/Chase Budinger in the quarterfinals where the Germans were once again victorious, 2-0 (21-14, 21-14).

Evans and Budinger finished tied for fifth and Partain/Benesh tied for ninth.

Full Results

BPT Futures Battipaglia

The U.S. brought home even more hardware over the past weekend courtesy of Logan Webber and Hagen Smith. The men took gold at BPT Futures Battipaglia, defeating the home pairing of Dal Corso/Viscovich (ITA) 2-0 (21-18, 21-15).

The gold is Webber and Smith’s first on the Beach Pro Tour and second medal overall as a pair.

Full Results

Challenge Stare Jablonki

The penultimate points-scoring international tournament before the Olympic qualifying cutoff is Challenge Stare Jablonki, which runs May 28–June 2 in Poland.

For the men, Trevor Crabb/Theo Brunner and Miles Evans/Chase Budinger will battle in hopes of locking up the final spot.

For the women, Kim Hildreth/Teegan Van Gunst, Hailey Harward/Kylie Deberg, Savvy Simo/Abby Van Winkle, and Brooke Sweat/Kennedy Coakley are all set to compete.

After this tournament, the final points-scoring tournament for the Olympics will be Elite 16 Ostrava on June 6-9 in Czech Republic.

Miles Evans and Chase Budinger are currently in the lead for the final Olympic spot for the U.S. men (FIVB) — Miles Evans, right, and Chase Budinger are currently in the lead for the final Olympic spot for the U.S. men (FIVB)

Olympic Rankings

Miles Evans and Chase Budinger extended their lead for the final Olympics spot at Elite 16 Espinho.

As of May 27, Evans/Budinger are provisionally ranked No. 13 and now have 8,400 points on 22 tournaments played. This puts them 540 points ahead of Trevor Crabb/Theo Brunner. The latter pair is tied for the No. 14 provisional ranking and have 7,860 points on 20 tournaments played.

Miles Partain/Andy Benesh moved up to No. 5 in the provisional Olympic rankings with the latest finish. Partain/Benesh have 9,580 points on 13 tournaments played.

The U.S. women remain unchanged going into the final two points scoring tournaments.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are No. 2 in the provisional Olympic rankings behind only Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA). Nuss/Kloth have 11,960 points on 19 tournaments played. Espinho was expected to be the final international tournament before the Paris games for the top-ranked U.S. women.

Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes remain No. 3 in the provisional Olympic rankings with 10,800 points on 16 tournaments played. Hughes/Cheng have the W designation for a quota place obtained for winning the 2023 Beach World Championships.

Current World Rankings – Men

Current World Rankings – Women

Provisional Olympic Ranking – Men

Provisional Olympic Ranking – Women

How to Qualify for the Olympics

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 8, 2024) – The U.S. began May by earning five medals in two separate events this past weekend. There is one beach event with two U.S. teams on tap for this week, and we check in on the Olympic race for the U.S. men with four points-scoring tournaments to go before Paris.

Elite 16 Brasilia

World No. 2-ranked Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss claimed silver at the third Elite 16 event of the year.

The top-ranked U.S. women found their groove from 2023 after winning pool and advancing directly to the quarterfinals, where they won two knockout matches vs. Xua/Xia (CHN), 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) in the quarterfinals and vs. Esme/Zoe (SUI) 2-1 (10-21, 21-19, 15-12) in the semis.

They fell to world No. 1 Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA) in the final 2-0 (21-17, 21-14), but Kloth/Nuss captured their first medal since the 2023 BPT Finals.

Despite battling an illness, Kelly Cheng and partner Sara Hughes (World No. 3) finished in the top five, losing to the eventual tournament winners Ana Patricia/Duda in the quarterfinals.

On the men’s side, Miles Partain/Andy Benesh and Miles Evans/Chase Budinger each made a deep run to the quarterfinals, settling for a fifth-place tie to finish the tournament.

NORCECA Varadero Results

The U.S. took home four medals at 2024 NORCECA Varadero (NORCECA).

All four teams competing at NORCECA Varadero, Cuba, earned medals.

Savvy Simo/Abby Van Winkle defeated U.S. teammates Hailey Harward/Kylie Deberg in the semifinals 2-0 (21-18, 21-18). This set them up in the final vs. Navas/Gonzales (CUB) where Simo/Van Winkle took gold with a 2-1 win (21-14, 17-21, 15-12).

Harward/Deberg claimed bronze by defeating Drik/Amanda (CUB), 2-1 (21-17, 17-21, 15-13) in the third-place match.

On the men’s side, Avery Drost and Cody Caldwell defeated U.S. teammates Evan Cory and Wyatt Harrison in the semis 2-1 (28-26, 20-22, 15-11) to advance to the final. There they defeated Alayo/Diaz (CUB) 2-0 (21-13, 22-20) to take the top spot of the podium.

Harrison/Cory rallied after the loss in the semis to capture the bronze medal with a 2-0 win (21-17, 21-16) over Torres/Ruvera (PUR) in the third-place match.

NORCECA Juan Dolio

It’s a quick turnaround for Harward/Deberg and Cory/Harrison, as each pair will look to build upon their third-place finishes in Varadero at the next NORCECA event in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. The competition runs from May 7-11.

Olympic Rankings

The finishes at Elite 16 Brasilia make the race as close as ever for the last U.S. men’s Olympic spot.

Miles Evans/Chase Budinger are provisionally ranked tied for No. 15 and now have 7,760 points on 20 tournaments played. This puts them just 100 points away from Trevor Crabb/Theo Brunner. The latter pair are in sole possession of the No. 14 provisional ranking and have 7,860 points on 19 tournaments played.

All eyes will be on the NORCECA Continental Final in Juan Dolio May 11-15 where Evans/Budinger will hope to score enough points to leapfrog Crabb/Brunner in the provisional rankings.

Partain/Benesh did their part to widen the gap on their hold for the top U.S. men’s position. The pair move up to No. 6 in the provisional Olympic rankings with the latest finish. Partain/Benesh have 8,980 points on 12 tournaments played.

For the women, the numbers change, but the rankings stay virtually status quo for the top two U.S. pairs.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are No. 2 in the provisional Olympic rankings behind only Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA). Nuss/Kloth have 11,360 points on 16 tournaments played.

Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes are No. 3 in the provisional Olympic rankings with 10,800 points on 15 tournaments played. Hughes/Cheng have the W designation for a quota place obtained for winning the 2023 Beach World Championships.

Current World Rankings – Men

Current World Rankings – Women

Provisional Olympic Ranking – Men

Provisional Olympic Ranking – Women

How to Qualify for the Olympics

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 11, 2023) – As the 2023 beach volleyball competition season winds down, we crown a new Beach Pro Tour Champion at the conclusion of the BPT Finals over the weekend. Plus, the U.S. is coming home with two medals from NORCECA San Salvador after positive showings from all four competing teams. We also preview two more NORCECA competitions that are set to conclude this year’s events.

BPT Finals

Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth are your 2023 BPT Finals Champions!

Nuss/Kloth defeated Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Taliqua Clancy (AUS) 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) in the semis, advancing to a matchup with Cinja Tillmann/Svenja Muller (GER) in the final. Nuss/Kloth defeated the German team 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) to claim their first BPT Finals victory.

The win marks the second consecutive year a U.S. pair has claimed the title. Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes won the inaugural BPT Finals in 2022.

“It was definitely a progression, but we had so many highs and lows,” Kloth told Volleyball World after taking gold. “There are so many different memories that we go back to. Sometimes we got to celebrate, and sometimes we had to be sad, and sometimes we had to work through everything, so it’s been a great long season.”

Nuss and Kloth ended 2023 with six medals on the BPT Tour and bronze at the World Championships in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Prior to the final, their BPT campaign was highlighted with first-place finishes at Challenge La Paz and Elite 16 Uberlandia. The pair has eight medal finishes on the tour dating back to 2022.

Cheng/Hughes finished tied for ninth. Miles Partain and Andy Benesh also finished tied for ninth.

FULL U.S. RESULTS

NORCECA San Salvador

A BPT Finals trophy wasn’t the only hardware earned by the U.S. over the weekend. Two medals are coming back to the States as a result of top finishes at NORCECA San Salvador.

Molly Turner/Deahna Kraft won the women’s tournament. The duo only lost one set en route to its victory in the final. Turner/Kraft defeated Belanger/Monkhouse (CAN) 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) in the semifinals. In the final, they defeated Navas/Gonzalez (PUR), 2-1 (14-21, 21-19, 15-11) to claim the top step of the podium.

“That was a really fun match,” Kraft told NORCECA after taking gold. “An amazing opponent, and you really have to earn every single point with them; they never give you free points. We definitely found another gear because we were exhausted; they are so good. It’s fun when both teams are giving their all.”

Avery Poppinga and Katie Lindstrom, the other U.S. women’s pair competing, fell in the quarterfinals to Belanger/Monkhouse 0-2 (19-21, 22-24) and finished in sixth place.

In the men’s tournament, James Shaw and Jordan Hoppe took home silver medals in their first NORCECA tournament together.

Shaw/Hoppe went undefeated in pool play and met up with fellow U.S. pair Charlie Siragusa/Zephyr Dew in the semifinals. Shaw/Hoppe defeated Siragusa/Dew 2-0 (21-19, 21-15) to advance to the final. Siragusa/Dew fell 0-2 (12-21, 19-21) to Sarabia/Virgen (MEX) in the bronze-medal match and finished fourth.

Shaw/Hoppe pushed the final to three sets, falling just short to Chambers/Kopp (CAN) 1-2 (21-15, 17-21, 13-15).

NORCECA Final

The NORCECA Final in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic, marks the last event for U.S. Beach National Team pairs in 2023.

The U.S. will send Andy Benesh and Miles Partain for the men, and Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft for the women.

Partain/Benesh are coming off a ninth-place finish last weekend at the BPT Finals. The duo has claimed three medals on the BPT circuit in 2023, including gold at Gstaad Elite 16. Partain/Benesh took silver at the last NORCECA event they competed in Punta Cana.

Cannon/Kraft have been a strong pair since partnering mid-season. The duo has improved every time they’ve competed together internationally, including a ninth-place finish at the Beach World Championships, followed by fifth place at BPT Challenge Nuvali.

Both pairs earned the right to represent the U.S. in Juan Dolio by winning NORCECA Playoff 4 at Manhattan Beach on Nov. 10-12.

U23 NORCECA Beach Championship

Preceding the NORCECA Final is the U23 Beach Championship, also in Juan Dolio. The tournament runs Dec. 11-15 and features four U.S. pairs.

Sierra Caffo/Ella Larkin and Delayne Maple/Xolani Hodel will represent the U.S. in the women’s division. The pairs of Tate Calles/Brendan Onishchenko and Kyle Paulson/Sebastian Rodriguez will compete in the men’s division.

Pairs representing the U.S. were determined both from the U23 Beach National Team Trials in June at Hermosa Beach, Calif., and from the 2023 Beach Collegiate National Teams.

As members of the age-group national teams, these athletes all participated in the National Team Development Program (NTDP) summer training block in late July at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in California.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE U23 BEACH NATIONAL TEAM

Rankings

The results of the BPT Finals in Doha did not impact Olympic rankings, so the current standings look similar to a week ago. Standings have the potential to shift at the conclusion of NORCECA Juan Dolio.

2023 BPT Finals Champions Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are in sole possession of world No. 2 with 8,140 points. World champions Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes are world No. 3 with 7,840 points and one fewer tournament played. Both pairs are behind Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA) who are No. 1 with 9,540 points.

Provisional Olympic rankings have Kloth/Nuss with 10, 260 points and 12 tournaments played, sharing the first position with Ana Patricia/Duda. Carol/Barbara (BRA) are No. 2 with 9, 640 points. Cheng/Hughes are in the provisional Olympic No. 3 spot with 9,040 points, as well as the W designating a quota place obtained for winning the 2023 World Championship.

Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint are still world No. 14 with 5,700 points. They are tied for No. 8 in provisional Olympic rankings with 6,740 points.

In the men’s rankings, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh are world No. 4 with 6,900 points. Anders Mol/Christian Sorum (NOR) remain world No. 1 with 8,860 points. David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig (SWE) are No. 2 with 8,460 points.

Partain/Benesh are currently in a three-way tie for ninth in the provisional Olympic rankings with 6,900 points on eight tournaments played.

Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner are world No. 16 with 5,400 points. They are tied with Partain/Benesh in the provisional Olympic rankings, also claiming the No. 9 position with 6,920 points.

Miles Evans/Chase Budinger are at No. 20 in the world rankings. Evans/Budinger are in sole possession of No. 10 in the provisional Olympic rankings with 6,480 points.

Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk remain inside the top-25 world rankings at No. 24 with 4,760 points. They are tied for the No. 13 spot in the provisional Olympic rankings with 6,080 points.

Current World Rankings – Men

Current World Rankings – Women

Provisional Olympic Ranking – Men

Provisional Olympic Ranking – Women

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss win silver at Elite 16 Paris

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 2, 2023) – Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss earned their fifth medal on the FIVB Beach Pro Tour this past weekend with a silver at the Elite 16 Paris. Kloth and Nuss headlined a list of four U.S. teams who finished in the top-10 at the event.

FIVB Elite 16 – Paris

The U.S. had five women’s pairs and four men’s pairs competing at Elite16 Paris.

In the women’s bracket, the U.S. has three teams in the main draw. Kristen Nuss/Taryn Kloth were the overall No. 2 seed. Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes were the No. 5 seed and Betsi Flint/Julia Scoles were the No. 9.

2020 Olympic gold medalist Alix Klineman returned to international competition with her new partner Hailey Harward. Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft made their international debut as well.

Kloth/Nuss defeated Gottardi/Menegatti (ITA) in the semifinals 2-0 to face No. 1 Ana Patrícia/Duda (BRA) in the final. In the gold medal match, Kloth/Nuss fell 2-1 (21-10, 18-21, 15-13).

Cheng/Hughes finished tied for fifth. Flint/Scoles finished tied for ninth.

On the men’s side, Miles Partain/Andy Benesh were the No. 1 overall seed for the main draw and finished tied for ninth. The teams of Trevor Crabb/Theo Brunner, Chaim Schalk/Tri Bourne, and Miles Evans/Chase Budinger all took part in the qualification phase of the competition but did not advance.

Below are the complete results for the U.S. pairs.

Women
Qualification Preliminary Phase
Davidova/Baieva (UKR) def. Klineman/Harward, 2-1 (21-15, 16-21, 15-13)
Cannon/Kraft def. Klinger/Klinger (AUT), 2-0 (21-14, 21-16)

Pool A
Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA) def. Flint/Scoles, 2-1 (21-12, 18-21, 16-14)
Flint/Scoles def. Ahtiainen/Lahti (FIN), 2-1 (24-26, 21-13, 15-5)
Huberli/Brunner (SUI) def. Flint/Scoles 2-0 (22-20, 21-15)

Pool B
Mariafe/Clancy (AUS) def. Cannon/Kraft, 2-1 (18-21, 25-23, 15-11)
Nuss/Kloth def. Gottardi/Menegatti (ITA), 2-0 (21-13, 21-16)
Gottardi/Menegatti (ITA) def. Cannon/Kraft, 2-1 (21-16, 16-21, 15-12)
Nuss/Kloth def. Mariafe/Clancy, 2-0 (21-13, 21-19)
Nuss/Kloth def. Cannon/Kraft 2-0 (21-18, 22-20)

Pool D
Hughes/Cheng def. Ludwig/Lippmann (GER), 2-0 def.
Hughes/Cheng def. Muller/Tillmann (GER), 2-0 (21-18, 21-19)
Hughes/Cheng def. Placette/Richard (FRA), 2-0 (21-19, 21-19)

Round of 12
Gottardi/Menegatti (ITA) def. Flint/Scoles 2-0 (21-19, 21-15)

Quarterfinals
Stam/Schoon (NED) def. Hughes/Cheng 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-13)
Kloth/Nuss def. Ludwig/Lippmann (GER) 2-1 (18-21, 21-18, 15-8)

Semifinals
Kloth/Nuss def. Gottardi/Menegatti (ITA) 2-0 (21-13, 21-17)

Final
Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA) def. Kloth/Nuss 2-1 (21-10, 18-21, 15-13)

Men
Qualification Preliminary Phase
Grimalt/Grimalt (CHI) def. Schalk/Bourne, 2-1 (21-18, 22-24, 15-11)
Crabb, Tr/Brunner def. Immers/Van de Velde (NED), 2-1 (19-21, 21-17, 15-8)
Brouwer/Meeuwsen (NED) def. Evans/Budinger, 2-0 (21-17, 21-18)
Horl/Horst (AUT) def. Crabb, Tr/Brunner, 2-1 (23–21, 13–21, 15–13)

Pool A
Boermans/De Groot (NED) def. Partain/Benesh, 2-0 (23-21, 22-20)
Evandro/Arthur (BRA) def. Partain/Benesh, 2-0 (21-18, 21-14)
Partain/Benesh def. Hodges/Schubert (AUS) 2-1 (21-19, 22-24, 15-11)

Round of 12
Cottafava/Nicolai (ITA) def. Partain/Benesh 2-0 (21-17, 21-16)

COMPLETE EVENT RESULTS

2023 NORCECA Punta Cana

Tim Brewster and Kyle Friend won the men’s bracket at the 2023 NORCECA beach event in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (Photo: NORCECA).

The U.S. had a strong showing with four teams medaling at the 2023 NORCECA beach event in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Tim Brewster/Kyle Friend won the men’s tournament. The duo took gold by defeating Jake MacNeil/William Russell (CAN) in the final 2-1 (21-14, 16-21, 15-11). Logan Webber/Hagen Smith finished with the bronze medal by defeating Ricardo Galindo/Isaias Aguirre (MEX) 2-0 (22-0, 21-13).

Lexy Denaburg/Molly Turner Shaw took silver in the women’s tournament. The duo fell to Puerto Rico’s Allanis Navas/Maria Gonzalez 2-0 in the final. Corinne Quiggle/Sarah Murphy took care of business in the bronze medal match. They defeated Bethania Almanzar/Julibeth Payano (DOM) 2-0.

COMPLETE EVENT RESULTS

Beach Update: Kloth and Nuss Make it Three Medals out of Last Four

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