SAN ANTONIO — UTSA dropped a four-set decision (17-25, 25-17, 22-25, 20-25) decision to Santa Clara at on Thursday night the Convocation Center.
Three Roadrunners registered double-figure kills with Dajana Boskovic leading the trio with 12. Kylie Schott added 11 and Marijeta Runjic totaled 10.
Annie Kunes aided the defense with 21 digs, while Tessa Dahnert matched her season best with seven blocks, four of which came in the fourth set.
The visiting Broncos (5-2) got off to a hot start by holding UTSA to a .171 hitting percentage while hitting a .302 clip. The early back-and-forth battle came to and end after consecuitve blocks by Nikki Hess and Jensen Cunningham, which gave Santa Clara a 10-8 lead. A 5-0 run by the Broncos extended the Roadrunners' deficit to 15-12 and they went on to take the opening stanza, 25-17.
The tables turned in the second set as UTSA (7-2), which was playing its fifth match in the last eight days, posted a .424 hitting percentage and held Santa Clara to a .150 clip. Boskovic totaled almost half the team’s kills with seven, as the team also recorded three blocks. The score was tied six times before the Roadrunners gained control and they utilized a 6-0 run to go in front, 13-7. UTSA led by as many as 11 at the 22-11 mark on a Runjic kill.
Santa Clara took the match lead in the third set. The score was tied 13 times and the lead changed hands on five occasions. The final tie came late in the frame after an attack error by the Broncos knotted the score at 19. The Broncos closed out the set on a 6-3 run for the win.
UTSA struggled to keep pace with the Broncos in the fourth set. The Roadrunners attempted to make a late comeback after Santa Clara scored match point on an ace. UTSA rattled off three straight points and forced the visiting team to call a timeout and they then scored four more to force Santa Clara to its second timeout. The Broncos managed to score the winning point upon their return to the court for the win.
The Roadrunners will kick off a six-match road swing on Friday when they play at the Texas Classic in Austin. UTSA will take on No. 4 Texas at 12:30 p.m. before facing Iona at 5 p.m.