American Beach Volleyball Team Upset in Paris Quarterfinals

The U.S. beach volleyball duo of Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth faced a tough loss against Canada’s Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes in the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics.

In the first set, it was a game of ups and downs as Nuss and Kloth found themselves trailing 8-6. They quickly turned things around with a 6-0 run, bringing the score to 12-8 in their favor. However, the Canadians weren’t backing down and fired back with a 6-0 run of their own, taking control again. The wind conditions at the Eiffel Tower Stadium caused several errors for the Americans, leading them to drop the first set at 21-19.

Struggles continued for Nuss and Kloth in the second set, with Kloth making several errant service returns that became prime targets for the Canadians. Wilkerson played a dominant role at the net, outmatching Kloth in crucial moments. At one point, Canada led 10-5 but the Americans fought back, putting together a 4-0 run to bring the score to 10-9. Despite their efforts to catch up, Nuss and Kloth fell short again, losing the second set, also 21-19.

Though the match statistics were nearly identical, Canada excelled when it really mattered, clinching the victory and putting an end to U.S. hopes for a gold medal in this match.

After the heartbreaking loss, Kloth expressed her disappointment, stating she felt “heartbroken.” She added, “I’m excited that I got this opportunity and I got to play with Kristen, and that is what I am focusing on right now.” Nuss also shared their aspirations, saying, “We came here wanting to bring home gold back to the United States and that’s been our goal for the past four years. It’s a phenomenal Canadian team; they definitely outplayed us today.”

Now, all eyes turn to the remaining American team in the tournament, Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, who will face Switzerland in their quarterfinal match tomorrow.