USA’s Top-Ranked Women’s Beach Volleyball Duo Unveil the Secret Sauce of a Perfect Partner

Team sports and games demand something more than skill: teamwork. A group of the most skilled individuals can lose a game if their energy doesn’t convert into synergy. Addressing the grave issue, the USA’s top-ranked women’s beach volleyball pair got together on the mike to explain how teamwork plays a crucial role when you are playing a group sport.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss have played alongside each other since 2021 and won several contests together. Their impeccable teamwork has yielded several medals and titles for the US. Interestingly, as both the Volleyball prodigies know several nooks and crannies of how to clinch success with effective teamwork, the duo shared their takeaways of DOs and DON’Ts for effective teamwork.

Nuss and Kloth on how they overcome adversity

Kristen Nuss and Taryn Cloth have played alongside each other since their LSU days. Both beach volleyball players chose each other as their first partners and haven’t drifted apart since. USA Volleyball shared a clip of a video interview of the pair where they spoke about the pitfalls of not coordinating in a team. The tweet carried the caption, “Being a great beach partner takes work. U.S. Beach National Team pair Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss touch on some of the attributes that make a great beach partner and what they do to support each other on the sand.” 

The video initially showcased Nuss and Kloth speaking about their own beach volleyball experience. Kloth said, “There are some times where I’m like oh my gosh I played horrible. She should leave me but like she doesn’t. And it’s not a worry that I have. Because you’re already frustrated with yourself and then if you’re worried that you might lose your partner just because of your bad performance, that adds to the anxiety and there’s no way that makes you play better.” While the duo highlighted how they overcame adversity, they also pointed out how most beach volleyball players do the wrong thing.

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The wrong way to play beach volleyball

Kristen Nuss followed up Kloth’s statement and revealed that they often observe junior beach volleyball players. “I’ll see a girl get set a ball. And the set may not have been like the best and you’ll see a girl roll her eyes or just make some sort of gesture just kind of showing that she didn’t really appreciate the set.” Nuss looked down upon such behavior and said that this is the worst thing one can do in beach volleyball. 

“You’re tearing down the confidence of your partner. It’s a team sport. You need her to be successful. So why are you tearing her down when you should be building her up? You cannot win by yourself in this sport like it’s not possible. It is a team sport.” 

While their words are applicable to all sports, this advice rings especially true for beach volleyball. A basketball player may have four players to pass the ball to, but beach volleyball has just two players. Thus, understanding, teamwork, and a constructive mindset are paramount for rising to the top. 

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