LSU Beach Volleyball Duo Stay Perfect in Second Olympic Match

Former LSU beach volleyball stars Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss won straight sets against a feisty Australian team that won the silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Games. The second straight sweep in these games placed the American duo firmly in control of their pool and the tournament in general.

Kloth and Nuss deployed a markedly different strategy than in their first win over the Canadians, with both attacking the Australian serves at the net. The 6'4" Kloth especially changed her guarded shooting to an aggressive attack at the net, hounding the Australians on every volley.

The match appeared to be a toss up at first with both teams trading points back and forth, but the Australians began to unravel after pulling within two points. They committed 13 errors over the course of the match which stifled their momentum and allowed the Americans to put the match away comfortably with a score of 21 - 16 in both sets.

Kloth and Nuss looked like the gold medal favorites with Nuss scoring a 14 point 16 dig double double and Kloth pouring in 12 points and 4 digs as well. Nuss came in clutch for her teammate at the end, registering two service aces in the second set and scoring the match point on a difficult kill as well.

The Louisiana duo will have several days to rest and recover to finish out pool play with a game Thursday against a Chinese team ranked tenth in the world coming into the olympics. With a win Thursday, Kloth and Nuss will be assured a spot in the sudden death round of 16.

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