SAN ANTONIO — Dempsey Thornton registered 21 kills to pace UTSA to a four-set victory (25-22, 25-18, 18-25, 25-9) against Baylor on Saturday evening at the Convocation Center.
Thornton picked up her 10th match with double digit kills, while hitting .320 for the match, while middle blockers Megan Slan and Kylie Schott combined for 14 blocks and 11 winners and the pair hit .500 and .429, respectively. Dajana Boskovic added 13 kills and five blocks.
As a team, the Roadrunners (4-7) recorded their second-highest attack percentage of the season at .267 and held the Bears (9-5) to a .198 hitting percentage, the fourth time this fall that UTSA held an opponent to less than a .200 attack percentage.
The Roadrunners dominated the first two sets.
The opening frame was the only set amongst the four where UTSA had to battle for the win. The set featured 14 ties and six lead changes and Thornton paced the team with eight winners.
Baylor came out strong after intermission, as it limited the Roadrunners to a .069 attack percentage while hitting .370. The Bears jumped out to a 5-1 lead and forced a quick UTSA timeout. The Roadrunners were unable to close in on the deficit and ended up trailing by as many as 11 on two occasions. Despite Boskovic’s seven kills and two blocks, UTSA was unable to finish off the match in straight sets.
The Birds bounced back to secure the win, as they rolled the a 16-point final-set triumph on the strength of scoring 12 of the opening 13 points. Baylor was held to a -.037 attack percentage, while UTSA hit .417. Thornton had six kills in the frame and Schott added four.
UTSA will hit the road on Monday for its Conference USA opener at UTEP (2-8). First serve is slated for 7 p.m. (CT).