Kristen Nuss has been by way of no less than seven hurricanes in her 25 years residing in Louisiana, and untold variety of floods and storms that didn’t fairly make it to hurricane class however carried devastating energy nonetheless. She handled the insanity of Katrina and, a month after that, Rita. In 2008 alone, she skilled Gustav and Ike. 9 years later, she was at floor zero as Harvey reared its head and delivered $125 billion of harm.
Lastly, after 25 years, Nuss, unofficially probably the most hurricane-experienced participant on the AVP Tour, will get to skip one.
Nuss and Taryn Kloth are usually not in California throughout this weekend’s AVP Manhattan Beach Open. They’re in Germany for the Hamburg Elite16, 1000’s of miles and an ocean away as Hurricane Hilary makes her approach up the coast of Mexico. So whereas the 2 might need some FOMO over skipping the Manhattan Seashore Open, yearly the most important occasion on the AVP calendar, there is no such thing as a such FOMO of lastly skipping out on a hurricane.
“Heck no,” Nuss mentioned.
“I’ve completed one hurricane and I legit cried after we evacuated as a result of I believed we had been going to return again to nothing,” mentioned Kloth, a South Dakota native who got here again to a lot. “The Nuss household was unphased.”
For that matter: Is there something that may part a Kristen Nuss?
If Katrina and Rita and Harvey and Gustav couldn’t do it, certainly a unique kind of storm, this one of many metaphorical type, may, one which goes by the title of Laura Ludwig.
Nuss cites two function fashions on the subject of her seashore volleyball profession: Misty Could-Treanor and Laura Ludwig. They’re World Champions and Olympic gold medalists each. Two of the best defenders of all time and in addition two of probably the most beloved, well-respected gamers within the recreation, gamers who share Nuss’ diminutive body (no participant in that triumvirate stands taller than 5-foot-10).
How’d Nuss reply when she alas acquired to play Ludwig for the primary time, in Germany, no much less, throughout Saturday’s quarterfinals of the Hamburg Elite16?
Unphased. Per traditional.
“As Kristen and I had been strolling down the streets of Hamburg, we had been checking in on our pregame ideas as we at all times do. I may inform Kristen was stoked to play Ludwig however she additionally acknowledged that particular second that she was going share the court docket with the perfect of the perfect defenders,” Kloth mentioned. “It was a really cool second to see up shut and the mutual respect they’ve for one another is so particular.”
The matchup between among the best defenders of all-time and one who’s at the moment making a case for among the best on the planet delivered in a 13-21, 21-15-15-11 win for Nuss and Kloth.
“Attending to share the court docket with Laura and in Germany of all locations was very surreal for me,” Nuss mentioned. “Simply actually particular.”
On Sunday, they are going to share a court docket with a unique German crew in Cinja Tillman and Svenja Muller, the 4 seed who swept each France (21-19, 21-15) and Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson (22-20, 21-10) on Saturday. The opposite semi-final is an all-Brazilian one, between world No. 1 Ana Patricia Silva and Duda Lisboa, and Olympic rankings leaders Barbara Seixas and Carol Salgado, who swept Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes (21-17, 21-15) within the quarterfinals.
No matter how Sunday goes for Nuss and Kloth, they are going to take Cheng and Hughes’ spot on the high of the Olympic rankings for the USA.
Miles Partain, Andy Benesh end fifth at Hamburg Elite16
No matter how this weekend went in any respect for Miles Partain and Andy Benesh, they had been assured of extending their lead within the USA Olympic rankings. As each weekend has gone within the earlier 4 months for the younger Individuals, their weekend in Hamburg went nicely.
Three straight wins in pool play — over Alex Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen, Adrian Carambula and Alex Ranghieri, and Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira — earned Benesh and Partain a bye into Saturday’s quarterfinals. That arrange one of many most-anticipated matches on the Seashore Professional Tour: Partain and Benesh vs. Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, two of the brightest younger groups on the planet with an analogous type of play, that includes jump-sets and unfold offenses and a youthful exuberance for the sport.
The primary assembly between the 2, within the Ostrava Elite16 in early June, was a short-lived one. Hellvig injured his hand on the finish of the primary set — received 21-18 by Benesh and Partain — and the Swedes have sat out since, returning for the primary time final weekend on the European Championships, the place they received a second consecutive gold medal.
The second assembly between the groups is what followers anticipated: A inventive, entertaining, three-set battle that might go the way in which of Sweden, 20-22, 21-16, 15-11.
Hamburg marks the primary event for the reason that Itapema Problem in April that Benesh and Partain won’t be competing for a medal. They entered this event with three straight podiums — bronze in Ostrava, gold in Gstaad, silver in Montreal — and whereas that streak has come to an finish, they’ve completed within the high 5 in each event this season and have prolonged their lead within the Olympic rankings even additional, including one other 760 factors of cushion to what was already a well-cushioned lead.
Ahman and Hellvig will play Brazil’s George and Andre within the semifinals. The opposite semifinal options Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum and Italy’s Sam Cottafava and Paolo Nicolai, who’ve appeared to discovered their stride after a mid-season malaise.
