The 2024 Paris Games represent a chance for the U.S. to medal in back-to-back Games, following the gold won in Tokyo by April Ross and Alix Klineman.
The four Olympic spots have been determined by FIVB rankings, which allow a maximum of two pairs per country to qualify for the Olympic Games. In order to qualify, a pair must rank in the top 17 of the FIVB’s Olympic rankings from its top 12 finishes at tournaments from January 1, 2023 to June 10, 2024.
Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are the top-ranked U.S. pair (No. 2 overall). The duo is not from traditional beach volleyball hotspots (South Dakota, Louisiana), but the pair has been a dominant force since partnering in 2021 at Louisiana State. Kloth and Nuss ended their international campaign in 2023 by medaling in three of their last four matches, including a win at the 2023 BPT Finals. They have won three more medals in 2024.
Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, ranked No. 3 overall, earned the U.S. an automatic Olympic bid by winning the 2023 Beach World Championship. Cheng reunited with Hughes, who had been her teammate at the University of Southern California for a year after, midway through the 2022 international event season. The two went 147-4 in college with two national championships in 2016 and 2017. They have won eight international medals since reuniting.
Miles Partain (UCLA) and Andy Benesh (USC) are both California natives who partnered in late 2022 and won their second international tournament together. The combination of youth and experience has resulted in six medals in international events and a steady top-10 Olympic ranking among the men. Before pairing with Miles Partain, Andy was previously partnered with Miles Evans in 2022. Partain is the youngest player to ever win a gold medal at a major FIVB event (Dubai 2022) and the youngest to win a NORCECA gold medal (Jamaica 2019).
Miles Evans and Chase Budinger went down to the wire to qualify for the Paris Olympics, sealing the deal in the last three tournaments of the qualifying period. The two paired in 2023 and have won four medals in FIVB and NORCECA competitions. Budinger is a former NBA player (2009 draft, No. 44 overall) who played for Houston, Minnesota, Indiana and Phoenix from 2009 – 16. He began his professional volleyball career in 2017 after retiring from the NBA. Evans played indoor volleyball at UC Santa Barbara for two years before he began his professional beach volleyball career.
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- Kristen Nuss is a Louisiana native (New Orleans) and LSU alum where she played beach volleyball and earned 139 career victories – the NCAA’s all-time leading mark. She partnered with Taryn Kloth in 2021 at LSU where the two had a 36-0 record and the duo also made their professional debut on the AVP circuit. Nuss considers herself a foodie and is the youngest of four siblings. She is the shortest player on the Beach Pro Tour (5’6”) and unlike most of her peers, does not have extensive prior experience playing indoor. One of her signature moves is the “Jumbo Shrimp” hit, which she executes with a high level of accuracy.
- Kelly Cheng is the only returning Olympian for USA Beach Volleyball, having partnered with Sarah Sponcil in Tokyo where they tied for ninth. Kelly is known for her fiery personality and energy on the court that is rivaled only by her elite awareness at the net. The SoCal native (Placentia) is a self-proclaimed geek who enjoys cosplay and video games in her spare time and brings a Nintendo Switch with her on every road trip. Cheng (Nee Claes) married coach Jordan Cheng in 2022.
- Miles Partain began playing on the beach AVP circuit at 15 years old with his older brother, Marcus, where the duo became the youngest team men or women ever to advance from an AVP qualifier to the main draw. Miles was a standout setter for UCLA’s indoor team before leaving the team in 2023 to pursue international beach competition full-time.
For inquiries: BJ Evans - bj.evans@usav.org