In 2021, Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss became the most dominant collegiate beach volleyball pair in the country.

Now, they're teaming up for their first Olympic Games.

Here's how they got to this point and how they're preparing for their Olympic debut.

In her four seasons at Creighton University, Taryn Kloth racked up the third-most single-season kills (490) and points (546), fourth-highest career kills (1,427) and seventh-most career points (1,625.5) in program history, as well as earning several All-America and Big East honors and making multiple appearances in the NCAA tournament.

After a bumpy first season on the beach volleyball team at LSU, Kloth went undefeated over her next two seasons, finishing with a 50-0 record. The first 13 of those victories were won in straight sets, as were an additional 32 in her final season. 

Following her perfect 36-0 record in the 2021 season, Kloth became the first player ever to earn both indoor and beach AVCA All-America honors.

Kristen Nuss shined from the very beginning of her career at LSU, winning nine matches in the No. 1 spot her freshman year including seven victories over top-10 teams. 

As a sophomore, she led the Tigers to their second-straight NCAA tournament appearance, winning 13 consecutive matches in straight sets en route to becoming half of the first LSU pair to receive AVCA All-American honors with Claire Coppola.

In 2019, Nuss and Coppola set the program record for wins in a season with a 33-4 record. That finish included a 16-match win streak in which they did not drop a single set.

Nuss' senior season brought more accolades, including joining fellow Paris Olympians Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes as only the third-ever collegiate pair to reach 100 career wins.

After receiving an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19, Nuss went undefeated in her fifth college campaign to become the NCAA's all-time win record holder, finishing with an individual career record of 139-21.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss first teamed up in 2021 and compiled a 36-0 record in their first season as a pair — the most single-season wins of any pair or individual player in LSU beach volleyball history. Of those victories, 32 were earned in straight sets.

In their first professional season (2021), Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss won all of their first three AVPNext events and the AVP Gold Series.

The pair has since racked up five wins in Fédération Internationale de Volleyball tournaments, including one against Cheng and Hughes in the semifinals in April 2023. Kloth and Nuss finished third at the 2023 World Championships, falling to Cheng and Hughes in the third set in the semifinal round. They also won the 2023 Beach Pro Tour Finals.

In 2023 — their first BPT Finals appearance — Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss took home the title, becoming the second consecutive U.S. pair to win the Beach Pro Tour Finals. Cheng and Hughes had won it the year before.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss won gold at the Espinho Elite 16 and silver at the Brasília Elite 16.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are ranked second globally, one spot ahead of Cheng and Hughes.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are coached by Drew Hamilton, their former assistant coach at LSU.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss train at Mango's Beach Volleyball in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, making them the only American pair that doesn't train in California.

Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss mathematically qualified for the Paris Olympics in March 2024.

Paris will be the duo's first Olympics, both together and individually.

The eight-inch height difference between Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss makes the duo an unlikely pair, especially in a sport that favors height, but that hasn't slowed them down. 

The 5-foot-6-inch Nuss has made it her goal to "rewrite the script" and change the expectations for beach volleyball players, telling Volleyball Magazine, "I do have a little chip on my shoulder that I gotta do it for all the 5-6ers out there watching," in March 2024.