Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are quickly gaining an affinity for the city of Atlanta.
The former LSU beach volleyball stars, ranked fourth in the latest Olympic rankings for Paris in 2024, won the AVP Gold Series Atlanta Open for the second time in their short careers, upending Canadian Olympians Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, 21-16, 21-16, in the women’s final Sunday at Atlantic Station.
Kloth and Nuss won the Atlanta tournament in their professional debut two years ago. This time around, they didn’t lose a set in five matches. Seeded second, they notched a 21-17, 21-18 semifinal victory Sunday morning over fourth-seeded Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil, a 2020 U.S. Olympian. In the final, they made quick work of third-seeded Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson, as the 6-foot-4 Kloth led all players with 16 blocks and her 5-foot-6 partner led with 16 digs.
The victory was their fifth in 13 tournaments as partners on the AVP Tour.
“After this win, Atlanta has become even more of a special place,” Kloth said. “Two years ago, it became a very special place for us, and now I just think it keeps getting better and better. It’s a good vibe when we come to this city.”
In the men’s bracket, top-seeded Andy Benesh and Miles Partain secured the men’s title with a 21-13, 21-13 victory over fifth-seeded Chase Budinger and Miles Evans after multiple weather delays. Play was halted due to lightning twice, during the first and second sets, and the total time elapsed from the beginning of the match to its end was five hours and 25 minutes.
Partain defended his Atlanta Open title, having won his first AVP title last year in Atlanta alongside former partner Paul Lotman.
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