HOUSTON — The duo of Dajana Boskovic and Tessa Dahnert gave fourth-seeded UTSA the power to outlast No. 5 Florida Atlantic in the opening round of this weekend's Conference USA Tournament, as the Roadrunners picked up a four-set victory (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19) Friday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
UTSA (20-7) now will face top-seeded WKU on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Boskovic paced the squad with 21 kills, while Dahnert added 14 winners for a .778 attack percentage. Meanwhile, Jessica Waldrip picked up her 10th match of 40-plus assists with 53 helpers to aid the team's .315 team hitting percentage. Three Roadrunners also tallied double figure digs and were led by Antonela Jularic's 13, while Megan Slan notched a season-best eight blocks with six kills.
The journey to the Roadrunners second conference tournament title began early as UTSA won the first two sets by identical scores of 25-20. In the opening set, the Roadrunners hit .263 and improved its hitting percentage to .438 in the second frame while holding Florida Atlantic to sub-.200 attack percentages in both sets.
The battle began early in the first set on multiple ties but UTSA pulled away late on three straight points to make it 21-17. The Roadrunners then scored four of the last seven points to secure the win.
In the second set, UTSA used five straight kills by Dajana Boskovic to lead No. 5 Florida Atlantic 12-6. The Roadrunners lead held the rest of the way for the 25-20 victory.
Florida Atlantic (15-14) extended the match after the third set as the Owls won 25-22. UTSA was held to a .147 attack percentage, as they were unable to maintain a lead. The Roadrunners held a slim edge over the Owls but after a tie at 20, momentum shifted in favor of the Owls.
Both teams fought hard in the fourth set as the score tied on several occasions. UTSA finally gained some momentum after a tie at 11 as they scored four straight points to lead 15-11. The Roadrunners held on and used another three straight kills from Boskovic to extend the lead as she also secured the win for the final point of the match.
Head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff has now reached seven consecutive seasons of 20-plus wins with Friday's win and it improved her conference tournament record to 16-11.
