Kelly Claes is having a blast and you’ll see why in this video chat.
She’s barely a year out of USC where she and former partner Sara Hughes had a record-setting career and then made a big splash on the pro-beach scene in 2017. Now the 6-foot-2 Claes, 22, is partnered with 37-year-old Brittany Hochevar. They stunned everyone in April with a march to the final in the FIVB four-star event in Xiamen, China.
This week, they’re in Fort Worth, training with coach Hector Gutierrez before heading to AVP New York. It comes on the heels of the USA Volleyball adult nationals in nearby Dallas, where Claes competed in sitting, which, it turns out, is a newfound passion of hers.
Of note: The winning team was Sit Happens, that included coach and player Katie Holloway, AVP DJ Jeremy Roueche, and former USA national team member and broadcaster Kevin Barnett. Claes played for Off, which finished sixth. They were sponsored by the Challenged Athletes Foundation of San Diego.
(All photos by Andrew Fonseca)
