US beach stars Kloth, Nuss going for gold at Olympics [Video]

PARIS, France —  A South Dakota native, Taryn Kloth had never even played beach volleyball until after she graduated from Creighton as a star in the indoor version of the sport. In pursuit of a business degree, she landed at LSU without any beach skills at all.

“I actually got dismantled. I was horrible. I couldn’t even talk and walk in the sand at the same time,” she said. “I just remember going home and calling my parents and I’m like: ‘Oh, my gosh. They should probably kick me off the team.’”

Unlike the generations of Californians who grew up playing volleyball on the local beaches as kids, Kloth and teammate Kristen Nuss came to the sandy side of the sport late. After teaming …