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EBENSBURG -- Some playoff matchups over the course of a contest prove why they are as even as they are, and Monday night's District 6 Class 3A girls volleyball quarterfinal between No. 4 Central Cambria and No. 5 Forest Hills was no exception.
It took a race to 15 to decide it, and a pair of Mara Pablic kills in the closing points of the match for the Lady Red Devils to secure a 20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12 decision at the Central Cambria gym over the Lady Rangers.
Pablic racked up 17 kills and 17 digs to help power the Lady Red Devils' efforts.
"I knew it was going to be like this because we're pretty even," Central Cambria coach Leah Montgomery said as her team improved to 14-5. "You just got put it all out there. It's a playoff game. You got to put it all out there."
Their reward is a trip to Richland on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. after the Lady Rams swept River Valley.
Pablic, along with Eryn Kauffman, helped get the Lady Red Devils the early advantage in the decisive set with three kills. Kauffmann had 10 kills with six digs.
Forest Hills (11-7), however, responded as Nicoletta Berzovec and Sierra Smay stuffed home one kill each to tie the set at 7.
"We stopped hitting those hard balls," Forest Hills coach Cassie Laymand said. "When we did, we were getting those points, we were winning those long rallies, our serving was very aggressive. I'm very happy with how we played tonight. It could've gone either way for either team."
Both sides traded the next seven points before Pablic's finish, which helped spark a 3-0 run to end the match.
"The girls are tough. They can be up, and the next point they're down. That first set they looked like they already lost the set. You just can't do that. You got to get rid of the mistake and then you got to push forward, and do the next game. You just can't let that get to you; you got to keep playing," Montgomery said.
Riley Kauffman recorded 11 digs and 44 assists for CC.
Forest Hills is saying goodbye to two seniors this year.
"We have a lot of underclassmen who really stepped up into some roles," she said. "We lost a big senior class last year, and those girls stepped into those roles, and they dominated. It was like we didn't miss a beat at some points."
SERVICE POINTS
CENTRAL CAMBRIA: Grimaldi 4, R. Kauffman 3, E. Kauffman 6, Ruddek 3, Pablic 4, Amigh 4, Benko 6.
Records: Forest Hills (11-7), Central Cambria (14-5)