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LINCOLN – As if Katie Holoubek wasn't enough for Bridgeport coach Jackie Rahmig to worry about, there was Mary Klosterman.

“That's my 1-2 punch,” David City Aquinas coach Jody Pelan said.

Pelan's fiifth-ranked Monarchs got a combined 48 kills out of the two seniors and moved into today's semifinals with a 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9 win over No. 10 Bridgeport in the first round of the Class C-2 state volleyball tournament Thursday at Lincoln North Star.

It's the first win in the state tournament for the Monarchs, who will face top-ranked North Platte St. Patrick's – a straight-set winner Thursday – in tonight's 9 p.m. semifinal at Lincoln Southeast.

Holoubek and Klosterman combined for nine kills, two scoring blocks and an ace, accounting for 12 of Aquinas' 15 points in the final game.

“They were just great hitters,” Rahmig said. “They've just got some versatile players than gan get the ball down on the ground.”

After a tight first game that went Aquinas' way late, Bridgeport got out to an early 7-1 lead and never trailed in evening the match at 1-1. Aquinas scored the first eight and final five points of a 25-22 win in game three before Bridgeport forced a fifth by scoring the last four points of a 25-22 win of their own.

Bridgeport led twice in the early stages of the final game, but an 8-2 run, fueled by four kills from Klosterman – inlcuding three consecutive scores – pushed the lead to 10-4 and the Monarchs never looked back.

“It's no secret,” Pelan said. “Everyone knows going in that Aquinas is going to go outside. We just basically say ‘line up and try to stop us.' Every good teams needs one good outside hitter. We got two.”

Holoubek finished with a game-high 30 kills, while Klosterman added 18.

“We feed off each other,” Holoubek said. “We get energy from each other.”

Senior Courtney Laux led Bridgeport with 20 kills.

David City Aquinas (25-8)........................25 16 25 22 15

Bridgeport (24-11).........................22 25 22 25 9

DCA (kills-aces-blocks): Cortny Novacek 1-0-0, Shania Steager 5-2-1, Emily Kobza 1-2-4, Katie Holoubek 30-1-1, Kristine Fiala 1-2-1, Mary Klosterman 18-5-1.

B (kills-aces-blocks): Manda Steer 2-1-1, Tessa Harding 0-2-0, Tess Hughes 1-0-4, Ashley Stevens 15-4-2, Charlee Wallesen 2-3-2, Payton Hall 2-0-1, Courtney Laux 20-1-3, Laramie Goeman 0-1-0.

Set assists: DCA 59 (Steager 31, Kobza 28); B 33 (Wallesen 32, Stevens 1).

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