Former LSU Beach Volley Ball Duo Stays Perfect in Olympic Pool Play

The American duo of Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss faced their toughest test of the Olympic tournament against a tough Chinese team ranked 10th in the world.

Kloth and Nuss started the first set slow and never really seemed to find a competitive rhythm. Both players had a difficult time communicating and converting their own serves into points. Kloth especially spent the first set seemingly out of sorts, struggling to put the ball in play and pass it off to her teammate. The Chinese comfortably took the first set 21 - 15.

An evening storm rolled in and the rain began to pour right just as the second set began. The pelting rain seemed to neutralize Kloth's elite blocking at first, but she found her touch in the rain and caught the Chinese off guard with deft attacks at the net. Kristen Nuss kicked it into gear as well in the second set with a breathtaking performance, seemingly diving to the sand at every volley, refusing to let the ball touch the ground. The Americans took the set 21 - 16.

Kloth and Nuss started off the third set hot, but as lightning rolled into the area, game officials called for a weather delay and evacuated the stadium. After a 66 minute weather delay, play resumed and the Americans got to work. They won the thrilling third set 15 - 12, to win the match and end pool play undefeated.

The match ended after midnight Paris time, but that didn't stop LeBron James from cheering Kloth and Nuss on to a win in the final set!

As the tournament heads to the round of 16 knockout stage this weekend, the American duo knows the job is not finished. After the match, Kristen Nuss said “We obviously came here for some hardware. We’re not content.” Nuss and Kloth will return to action this Sunday, looking to build on their dominance in pool play as the tournament continues.