HOUSTON — UTSA battled back in the second set to even the match, but No. 20 WKU was too much to handle and the Lady Toppers handed the Roadrunners a four-set loss (25-10, 20-25, 25-13, 25-18) loss in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
In her final match as a Roadrunner, senior Dajana Boskovic paced the team with 11 kills and was one dig shy of a double-double with nine. Meanwhile, fellow senior Jessica Waldrip notched 21 assists with three blocks and Daniella Villarreal matched Boskovic with nine digs.
WKU (29-2) had three players in double-figure kills, led by Alyssa Cavanaugh's 19. Rachel Anderson and Taylor Dellinger chipped in with 11 each.
The Lady Toppers dominated from the get-go as they won the opening set with a 25-10 decision. The Lady Toppers hit a .500 clip and held UTSA to a .031 hitting percentage. Boskovic and Tessa Dahnert were the only players to record multiple kills with two apiece.
The 20th-ranked Lady Toppers started the stanza 4-0 before a triple block by Boskovic, Megan Slan and Waldrip put the Roadrunners on the board.
UTSA (20-8) turned things around in the second set as they picked up a 25-20 win. The score tied seven times before the Roadrunners could gain control of the set at an 11-all tie that forced the Lady Toppers to take a timeout.
The Roadrunners used a 4-1 run out of the timeout to hold a 15-12 advantage and managed to hold off WKU the rest of the way. Boskovic secured the win for UTSA with her fifth kill of the match.
Momentum shifted once again in the third set this time in favor of WKU as the Lady Toppers won by a score of 25-13. UTSA scored the first three points of the set before WKU rattled off six straight points to lead 6-3. The Roadrunners were forced to take both their timeouts early in the frame as they trailed the entire way.
WKU sealed the win in the fourth set with a 25-18 decision as they hit .405 for the match and held the Roadrunners to a .165 overall hitting percentage.
