Americans Taryn Kluth and Kristin Noss won the Beach Volleyball Tour Finals and will end 2023 ranked No. 2 in the world.
Kluth, 26, 6ft 4ins, and Noss, 25, 5ft 6ins, beat Germany’s Svenja Müller and Sinja Thielemann 21-17, 21-14 in the final on Saturday. In Doha to claim the biggest title in their partnership that spans more than two years.
They swept Olympic silver medalists Mariafi Artacho and Talequa Clancy of Australia 21-19, 21-13 in the semifinals.
Kluth and Nos are ranked second in the world behind Brazilians Ana Patricia and Duda, who finished third in the finals.
Another American team, Kelly Cheng and Sarah Hughes, beat Kluth, Noss, Anna Patricia and Duda to win the world championship in October. Cheng and Hughes went 0-4 in finals and are ranked third in the world.
Kluth, Noss, Cheng and Hughes are in a strong position to secure two Olympic berths for the United States at the Paris Games. They will likely mathematically clinch those spots early next year.
Kluth and Noss, two former LSU teammates, started 2023 having to make it through the playoffs to get major tie-and-break spots at international tournaments.
They have a total of three international titles this year, plus two more on the domestic AVP tour.