As LA28 Approaches Team USA Women’s Beach Volleyball Pipeline Is Deep

The Best Of The Bunch

At the top are Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, whom Ross describes as one of the best—if not the best—beach volleyball teams in the world. She says the pair are currently ranked No. 1 and possess a combination of complementary skills that makes them particularly difficult to beat. Kloth brings size and power at the net. Nuss brings extraordinary speed and defensive instincts.

“Taryn has great size up at the net, blocking-wise and attacking,” Ross said. “And Kristen is super fast on defense.”

Nuss’s ability to read the game is particularly important. Ross describes her as one of the best defenders in the world at recognizing situations and anticipating what is coming next. That defensive ability gives the pair something every championship beach volleyball team needs: freedom.

“They cover a lot of court,” Ross said.

If Kloth does not block an attack, Nuss is often there. If the ball gets around the block, the pair have the defensive range to extend rallies and force opponents to earn every point. Ross believes that defensive mentality is their superpower. But there is another element that Ross finds important—and it is not technical.

They enjoy themselves.

The two players have developed a habit of making the most of tournaments, exploring destinations, finding good places to eat and sometimes extending trips after competition. That balance reflects a philosophy Ross learned during her own Olympic career. Winning matters. But so does enjoying the journey.

And Right Behind Them

Behind Kloth and Nuss, the U.S. has another potential LA28 combination in Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft. Ross stopped short of declaring the pairing official because beach volleyball differs from many other Olympic team sports: The athletes choose their own partners and can often change pairings. Still, she sees strong signs that Cheng and Kraft will remain together.

“All signs point to yes,” Ross said.

The chemistry appears to be there, and Ross sees the partnership as particularly valuable for Kraft, one of the younger players coming out of the college system. Ross believes the relationship between the two provides Kraft with an important mentor while giving the pair a complementary dynamic on the court.

And then there are the challengers.

A Wealth Of Riches

Lexy Denaburg and Julia Donlin are among the other teams Ross is watching very closely. They finished fifth at the previous year’s World Championships and recently placed fourth at an Operation Gold event in Switzerland. Ross sees both players as physical, talented and capable of pushing the teams ahead of them. Denaberg, a UCLA product, is part of the younger generation moving into the national-team pipeline.

Ross also points to another name: Taryn Cannon. Cannon is returning from a shoulder injury and was scheduled to make her first event appearance since the previous year’s World Championships at the Manhattan Beach Open. Cannon’s eventual partnership remains unsettled, but Ross expects her to be part of the LA28 conversation.

And that is the larger point. There is no shortage of candidates. At the recent Operation Gold event in Switzerland, Ross noted, the U.S. had 12 women’s teams in the tournament.

“Which is an absurd amount,” she said.

To Ross, that depth reflects the strength of the American development system, including the NCAA and USA Volleyball’s developmental pipeline.

“I think anyone could make a run for LA,” she said.

That creates a different kind of challenge for a coach. Instead of finding talent, Ross must help determine which talent can most likely be converted into Olympic success.

What Makes A Beach Volleyball Champion?

Ross’s own career provides a blueprint. She knows that elite beach volleyball is not simply about height, jumping ability or power. It is about intelligence. It is about reading the opponent. It is about communication with a partner. And it is about surviving the moments when the game becomes a test of decision-making as much as physical ability. That may explain why Ross is so high on Kloth and Nuss.

“They’re both really intelligent,” she said. “Which I think you have to be to play the sport.”

The same principle applies to the Olympic environment. Ross learned in Rio in 2016 that preparation cannot mean predicting exactly what will happen. It means being prepared to adapt when what happens is different from what you expected. That became one of the most important lessons she carried into Tokyo in 2021. Now, as a coach, she has the opportunity to build that adaptability into this current generation of elite players.

A Different Kind Of Pressure In Los Angeles

The LA28 Games will be different for Ross. For the first time, she will participate as a coach, and not as an athlete. She will be watching athletes she has helped prepare compete in the Olympic Games on American soil. Ross understands better than her athletes that the Olympic experience has to be approached with a delicate balance.

“You’ve gotta walk that fine line,” she said.

Athletes have to be serious enough to perform but free enough to enjoy the moment. That lesson is particularly important for the LA28 Games that will put American athletes under an extraordinary home-country spotlight. Ross understands what it feels like to walk into an Olympic venue knowing the world is watching. She also understands now that for the athlete, the Olympic experience is as important as the result.

It is the opening ceremony. It is representing one’s country. It is seeing friends and family there to cheer you on. It is the journey. For Ross, that perspective helped transform Olympic disappointment into Olympic gold. Now, 24 months from LA28, she is attempting to pass that perspective on to the next generation. The most valuable thing she may give them is not technical; It may simply be the ability to let go and enjoy the moment.

Ross learned that lesson, and several others, over three Olympic Games.

Coach April Ross will have two more years to inculcate all her perspective and wisdom into her athletes. And if the depth of talent Ross sees today continues to develop, LA28 may offer something more compelling than a single home-team medal contender.

It may offer an entire group of American women capable of making a medal run.

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