Kristen Nuss (born December 16, 1997) is an American beach volleyball player, currently competing in the FIVB World Tour/Pro Beach Tour. She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with Taryn Kloth.

Early life

Nuss was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana to Audrey and George. She is the youngest of four children, with older brothers Pete, Jeffrey, and Jordan.

Nuss was a multi-sport athlete throughout high school, leading Mount Carmel Academy to three indoor volleyball and two basketball state titles, though beach volleyball was the sport she enjoyed most. Nuss was a LHSAA Division I MVP and Gatorade Player of the Year candidate for indoor volleyball.

College

Nuss attended Louisiana State University starting in 2017 and quickly found success on the sand with fellow freshman Claire Coppola. The pair accumulated nine wins over NCAA ranked teams, including seven against top-10 ranked teams. At one point during their freshman season, they won 20 of 21 matches, finishing with a 27-7 record and being named to Volleyballmag.com's All-America team. The pair's success grew in following seasons, compiling records of 31-8 and 33-4 over the following two seasons, winning the USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Championship, CCSA Pair of the Year, AVCA All-America honors in back-to-back years. They were the first pair to win consecutive CCSA Pair of the Year awards. Their junior season also saw them top the Tigers' individual wins list at 81. Their 2020 season saw them reach the 100 wins mark, becoming the third pair to do so behind USC's Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng and UCLA's Megan and Nicole McNamara.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nuss began training with Taryn Kloth, an indoor volleyball player for Creighton who had transferred to LSU. Despite having never played beach volleyball before, the pair went on to finish the 2021 season with a 36-0 record, the second ever team to complete an undefeated season and the NCAA title.

Nuss graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology, finishing her college career as one of the most decorated NCAA beach volleyball players ever with 136 total victories, three CCSA Pair of the Year and AVCA All-American awards, two USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Championships, and Volleyballmag.com Player of the Year.

Professional career

2021–2023: Beginnings and Olympic Qualification

Nuss and Kloth turned professional upon graduating in 2021, with the goal of qualifying for the Olympics in Paris, but opting to keep their base in New Orleans instead of moving to Southern California. They initially struggled to qualify for international tournaments, but eventually broke through with Gold in the 2022 BPT Coolangatta Futures. Shortly thereafter, the pair beat the Tokyo Silver Medalists, Australians Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, en route to the Gold at the 2022 BPT Kusadasi Challenge (21-12, 17-21, 17-15).

The pair started 2023 with wins in two of their first four World Tour tournaments, and followed it up with three medals in five tournaments during the European leg of the tour schedule. In the World Championships, the pair reached the semifinals, losing in three sets to their American counterparts Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes. They rematched with the Australian Olympic silver medalists Mariafe and Clancy to win bronze (15-21, 21-19, 15-8) at the World Championships. Nuss and Kloth then cruised to win Gold at the World Tour Finals, not dropping a single set, to reach the No. 2 FIVB ranking and qualify for the Olympics in Paris.

2024: Olympics

Nuss participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with Kloth.

Personal life

Her grandfather, Ralph 'Putsy' Caballero, played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1944, becoming the youngest ever player for the franchise at the time at age 16.

Career podiums

Pro Beach Tour

  • 20 medals – (12 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze)
Legend
World Championships
Tour Finals
Elite 16 Tournaments
Challenge Tournaments
Future Tournaments
No.ResultDateCategoryVenuePartnerOpponentsScore
1.Gold3 Apr 2022FutureAustralia Coolangatta, AustraliaTaryn KlothAustralia Laird / Bell19–2121–915–7
2.Gold22 May 2022ChallengeTurkey Kuşadası, TurkeyTaryn KlothAustralia Artacho / Clancy21–1217–2117–15
3.Gold19 Mar 2023ChallengeMexico La Paz, MexicoTaryn KlothUnited States Simo / Rodriguez21–1621–13
4.Gold30 Apr 2023Elite 16Brazil Uberlândia, BrazilTaryn KlothAustralia Artacho / Clancy21–1217–2117–15
5.Bronze9 Jul 2023Elite 16Switzerland Gstaad, SwitzerlandTaryn KlothGermany Müller / Tillmann21–1921–16
6.Silver20 Aug 2023Elite 16Germany Hamburg, GermanyTaryn KlothBrazil Duda / Ana Patrícia16–2117–21
7.Silver1 Oct 2023Elite 16France Paris, FranceTaryn KlothBrazil Duda / Ana Patrícia10–2121–1813–15
8.Bronze15 Oct 2023World ChampionshipsMexico Tlaxcala, MexicoTaryn KlothAustralia Artacho / Clancy15–2121–1915–8
9.Gold9 Dec 2023Tour FinalsQatar Doha, QatarTaryn KlothGermany Müller / Tillmann21–1721–14
10.Silver5 May 2024Elite 16Brazil Brasília, BrazilTaryn KlothBrazil Duda / Ana Patrícia17–2114–21
11.Gold26 May 2024Elite 16Portugal Espinho, PortugalTaryn KlothSwitzerland Brunner / Hüberli17–2128–2615–10
12.Gold7 Jul 2024Elite 16Switzerland Gstaad, SwitzerlandTaryn KlothUnited States Cannon / Kraft19–2121–1515–11
13.Gold7 Dec 2024Tour FinalsQatar Doha, QatarTaryn KlothUnited States Cannon / Kraft21–1921–17
14.Bronze30 March 2025Elite 16Mexico Playa del Carmen, MexicoTaryn BrasherUnited States Shaw / Cheng21–1621–14
15.Silver13 April 2025Elite 16Brazil Saquarema, BrazilTaryn BrasherBrazil Galil / Lopes19–2121–1610–15
16.Gold20 April 2025Elite 16Brazil Brasília, BrazilTaryn BrasherBrazil Carolina Solberg / Cavalcante22–2021–19
17.Gold6 July 2025Elite 16Switzerland Gstaad, SwitzerlandTaryn BrasherLatvia Graudiņa / Samoilova21–1921–18
18.Gold11 October 2025Elite 16United States Newport Beach, United StatesTaryn BrasherUnited States Donlin / Denaburg21–1521–14
19.Silver23 November 2025World ChampionshipsAustralia Adelaide, AustraliaTaryn BrasherLatvia Graudiņa / Samoilova15–2121–1511–15
20.Gold15 March 2026Elite 16Brazil João Pessoa, BrazilTaryn BrasherBrazil Duda / Ana Patrícia21–1621–19
Source:

External links