Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth are no longer the little LSU kids who could. They’ve ditched the reputation — names and all — of the precocious, aw shucks wunderkinds who provided a southeastern shock to the NCAA and, just as quickly, the AVP.
They’re Kristen Cruz and Taryn Brasher now, and they are, regardless of official world ranking, the No. 1 team in the world.
In their first event competing as Cruz-Brasher, at the Joao Pessoa Elite, they went 7-0, vanquishing a rejuvenated Ana Patricia and Duda, at home in Brazil, in an excellent final sweep, 21-16, 21-19.
Winning golds is nothing new for these two, of course. They’ve done so 12 times in just 37 events as a partnership. But to win gold against Ana Patricia and Duda, in Brazil, is a new line on the resume. In 11 previous meetings with Ana Patricia and Duda, the 2024 Olympic gold medalists, Cruz and Brasher had seen them in the finals three times.
They hadn’t won any.
The fourth time proved to be the golden charm, although there was no particular charm or luck required. Cruz and Brasher were, as they were all week, the better team. They weathered the usual fare of spectacular digs and covers from Ana Patricia, the thundering hits and third-eye vision from Duda. They handled missiles of serves and even harder swings as if it were just another day at practice with coach Drew Hamilton.
They were as sharp as they’ve been in recent memory, at the very moment that precision was required. And it was, no doubt, required all week. Their finals route was one that featured four wins over home teams, where Brazil is famously strong, including a three-set win over world No. 2 Thamela and Victoria in the quarterfinals.
It is Cruz and Brasher’s first gold medal since winning in Newport Beach in October, and their third straight final, following up on a silver medal at the World Championships in November.
Their win was the culminating exclamation point on a tour de force for USA Volleyball all week in Brazil. Standing just two paces down the podium, in bronze, were debut partners Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft. Their only loss of the week came to Ana Patricia and Duda, in a well-fought, 21-19, 22-20 semifinal. They bounced back quickly, sweeping Italy’s Giada Bianchi and Claudia Scampoli to win their first medal as a team, in their first event as a team.
David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig finished third in pool/Volleyball World photo
Same Name, Same Result: David Ahman, Jonatan Hellvig Win Gold
Last year was a puzzling one for Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig who, unlike what feels like half the field, did not change their names or partners.
Typically dominant, they went five consecutive events without a medal, an unfathomably long time for a team that once made 11 straight finals and won an Olympic gold medal. And then, of course, they won the 2025 World Championships, and any notion of a slump was promptly forgotten.
They’ve kept the ship righted, winning gold in Joao Pessoa, sweeping France’s Calvin Aye and Remi Daubas — formerly Remi Bassereau, he is now going by his mother’s maiden name to honor her — 21-16, 21-18.
It is, unbelievably, the first time Sweden has started a season with a gold medal.
They were, simply put, fabulous.
Only once did they lose a set, to the promising new Austrian duo of Moritz Pristauz and Philipp Waller, and even then, they didn’t lose the match. Ten of their sets won came by four points or more, including a 21-5 mercy rule drubbing over France’s Elouan Chouikh and Joadel Gardoque. They were the lone pair not to allow Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh — more on them below — to sneak back in after taking a lead. And they were the only team to hand a loss to Daubas and Aye, who were tremendous all week, in what was another statement event for the rising French federation.
Ahman and Hellvig looked as healthy and strong and crisp as they were in 2024, and they have a gold medal to show for it.
Taylor Crabb/Volleyball World photo
One Tournament, One Medal for Taylor Crabb, Andy Benesh
In their first tournament as a team, Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh won their first medal as a team, claiming bronze in a forfeit over Brazil’s Evandro and Arthur, who pulled out due to injury to Arthur. The medal is Crabb’s first on the Beach Pro Tour since the Dubai Challenge of 2022, where he won bronze with Paul Lotman. It’s Benesh’s first since Ostrava of 2024, where he and Miles Partain also won bronze.
But it isn’t so much the medal itself that should be so inspiring to USA Volleyball fans, but the manner in which it was won: with an indomitable block-defense.
If there is one lesson to take away from Joao Pessoa, let it be this: There is no hole too deep for Crabb and Benesh to, ahem, dig themselves out of. It was a theme that began early, with a couple early deficits in their first match of their partnership, against Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher. Twice, they were down by four points or more. Twice, they erupted for massive runs to shut the door.
Such is the identity of this team.
Two matches later, against Sweden’s Elmer Andersson and Jacob Holting-Nilsson, that identity was solidified. Crabb and Benesh seemed remarkably unbothered by a 4-10 deficit in the third set, pulling off a stunning 11-1 run against a team that just won a silver medal at the World Championships and decidedly does not give up 11-1 runs. They don’t — against teams not named Crabb and Benesh.
But this is an inspired Taylor Crabb, and a rejuvenated Andy Benesh, who was fantastic at the net, and they were a massive problem for teams all week.
It’s just one event, and teams will now have something for their scouting reports, but it is a fine start.
Savvy Simo/Volleyball World photo
USA Volleyball’s Tour De Force Of 2026
It is early yet in this 2026 season, but the USA women — and even the men! — are piling up the hardware.
Just one weekend ago, Audrey Koenig and Alexis Durish won gold at the Bhubaneswar Challenge and Sara Hughes and Ally Batenhorst captured a bronze. In Joao Pessoa, two more USA Volleyball teams stood on the podium for the women, while Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh won their first medal as a team.
But even the teams who didn’t stand on the podium made a statement: This is a deep USA Volleyball federation.
Because there were Trevor Crabb and Wyatt Harrison, making it out of the qualifier and then winning pool with three straight three-set wins.
There were Savvy Simo and Devon Newberry, making the main draw then stunning world Champs Tina Graudina and Anstasija Samoilova, upsetting Germans Cinja Tillmann and Svenja Muller, and landing a huge fifth in their first event as a team.
There were Piper Ferch and Teegan Van Gunst, taking out Sophie Bukovec and Lea Monkhouse and weathering a white-hot Melanie Paul and Lea Kunst to take their third straight fifth-place finish in an Elite.
In just two Challenge or Elite events in 2026, the U.S. has had nine teams finish in the top five between the men and the women and taken home a combined four medals.
Hard to think of a better start for this new-look federation, helmed by April Ross and, soon, Matt Fuerbringer.
Other Notes From Joao Pessoa
- Moritz Pristauz and Philipp Waller were one of the new teams I was most excited to see, and they lived up to the billing. They were the only pair to properly challenge David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, swept Jacob Holting-Nilsson and Elmer Andersson, and gave Evandro and Arthur a stout match in a thrilling quarterfinal. This is a team to take note of.
- France rising. The French men again medaled in an Elite, while another took a top-five finish. While Scandinavia rules the world, France is quickly becoming a European power on the men’s side.
- Marco Krattiger, Leo Dillier keep plugging away. Switzerland’s top men’s team had a breakout season in 2025 and started well in 2026, finishing fifth out of the qualifier.
- Italians Claudia Scampoli and Giada Bianchi got off to an excellent start in Joao Pessoa. A fourth place finish in this event is notable for Italy’s No. 2, as it is their best Elite finish as a team.
- Paraguay’s Giuli Corrales and Michelle Valiente have come into their own. A fifth, including a wild three-set quarterfinal against Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft, is a big start to the season. They look like they belong at this Elite level.
