Kloth-Nuss, Cheng-Flint win matches Thursday at VW Beach Paris Elite 16

There are some tough matchups for the USA pairs in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Paris Elite 16.

Matchups that were made tougher in that they have to play some familiar faces as the four  USA pairs were shoved into two pools.

To wit, Emily Stockman and Megan Kraft on Thursday swept fellow Americans Sarah Sponcil and Terese Cannon in Pool B 21-17, 21-17. 

The hottest team, Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, had to go three to beat Canadians Brandie Wilkerson and Sophie Bukovec 21-17, 13-21, 15 in Pool C. 

The other USA women’s pair, Kelly Cheng and Betsi Flint, also in Pool C, beat Finland’s Taru Lahti and Niina Ahtiainen 16-21, 21-9, 15-6.

Then Stockman and Kraft got crushed by the Dutch pair of Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon 21-14, 21-7 before Sponcil and Cannon fell to Brazilians Barbara Seixas and Carol Salgado 21-10, 21-18.

Look for more of the same on Friday, Kloth and Nuss play the Finnish pair, while Cheng and Flint play Wilkerson and Bukovec. Then in another showdown between them, Kloth and Nuss play Cheng and Flint.

Also Friday, Stockman and Kraft play Barbara and Carol and Sponcil and Cannon face Stam and Schoon.

Stockman and Kraft made it through Wednesday’s qualifier.

The only American men’s pair, Andy Benesh and Miles Evans, failed to get out of the qualifier.

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