Kloth/Nuss Win Coolangatta Futures; Muno/Rodriguez Third

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 3, 2022) – U.S. Beach National Team pair Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss won their first international tournament Sunday, claiming gold at the Beach Pro Tour’s Coolangatta Futures. Fellow Americans Zana Muno/Toni Rodriguez took third at the event in Coolangatta, Australia.

Kloth/Nuss went 7-0 in Coolangatta, capping the tournament with a 2-1 (19-21, 21-9, 15-7) win over Australia’s Phoebe Bell/Nicole Laird in the gold medal match. It was the Americans’ second win over Bell/Laird of the tournament. They met in the first match of pool play with Kloth/Nuss sweeping the top-seeded Australian duo.

Despite it being their first international tournament, Kloth/Nuss dominated the field in Coolangatta. They won 14 of 15 sets played and held opponents to an average of 12.87 points per set. In their second qualification match, they held Jesse Mann/Jessica Ryder to 16 points total in a 2-0 (21-9, 21-7) U.S. win.

Coolangatta was also Rodriguez’ first international competition, and she and Muno took home bronze after a sweep over Japan’s Suzuka Hashimoto/Reika Murakami. Playing for third just two hours after losing to Bell/Laird in the semifinal, the Americans needed extra points to win the first set. In the second, they took a large early lead and held on for a 2-0 (24-22, 21-17) victory.

This is the second international win for Muno; she and Crissy Jones won the Leuven (Belgium) 1-star last year.

Another U.S. team claimed a top-five finish in Coolangatta: Jade Race/Katie Horton. The pair lost to Muno/Rodriguez in the quarterfinals, tying for fifth.

Two U.S. men’s pairs – Cody Caldwell/Adam Roberts and Tim Brewster/Travis Mewhirter – did not advance past the qualifier.

The Beach Pro Tour continues with a Futures tournament in Songkhla, Thailand April 8-11. Two U.S. teams are currently slated to compete in the qualifier, but others may earn berths should any become available.