Century volleyball coach Pauline Thiros felt more than a little anxiety before her team's 4A Fifth District title match against Preston on Thursday.

The Diamondbacks were missing junior middle blocker Jennifer Donaldson, who was out with the flu, and the Indians carried tons of momentum into the contest after a dominating straight-set win over Pocatello earlier in the day.

For one set, Thiros' uneasy feeling appeared more than justified.

After that tight first game, though, Century cruised to a 26-24, 25-18, 25-10 victory over Preston to earn a spot in next week's 4A state tournament.

"That was our goal," senior Tasi Kelemete said. "We wrote down a lot of goals at the beginning of the year. We wanted to take first in districts, and we obviously did that. It's just another step, and hopefully we can reach more."

The Diamondbacks didn't use much energy celebrating their win. State tournament appearances are nothing new to Century.

Before the 2001 season, the Idaho High School Activities Association adopted the current 5A through 1A format for schools. The Diamondbacks have earned a spot in the 4A state tournament every year since.

"It's a great feeling," senior Kylie Reeder said. "We've worked so hard, and it's just a good reward for working so hard this season."

Preston certainly made Century earn the title.

Throughout the opening set, the teams played back and forth, and the Indians' block - led by senior Brittani Cole - repeatedly stuffed the Diamondbacks' attack.

With the score tied 24-24, a bit of bad luck bit Preston. The Indians took longer than the 5 seconds allowed to serve at that juncture, giving Century a point and a side out. The Diamondbacks converted on the next point to win the game 26-24.

"We had kind of stolen the momentum, and it took the wind out of our sails for sure," Preston coach Kristy Chatterley said. "I knew that was gonna be crucial. It's tough. Those kind of things take a toll on you, and it's hard to stay up."

Once it escaped the first set, Century took control.

In Game 2, Reeder strung together a five-point service run to turn a 4-3 Diamondbacks deficit into an 8-4 lead, and Century never let up.

Rather than trying to hit through the Indians' stout block, the Diamondbacks started going over and around it, and they cruised to a win in the set.

"When there's a big block like that, you have to identify a couple places on the court that are open," Thiros said. "It's easy for a coach to do that, and then it's a question of if the kids can hit the spots. They did a great job."

In the final game, Reeder continued her strong serving to bury Preston.

Reeder's six-point service run at the start of the set put Century up 8-2, and she added a four-point run at the back end of the set to give the Diamondbacks a 23-9 edge.

"Kylie's always a big server," Kelemete said. "She knew that if we were off a step, she needed to step it up. She really served hard and did well."

For the match, Century recorded 14 aces as a team. Sophomore Jenna Ellis led the way on offense with 11 kills, junior Lynnsie Togiai added eight and Kelemete chipped in seven.

The Diamondbacks (40-6) will open the state tournament against Twin Falls (30-14) at 10 a.m. Oct. 30 at Post Falls High.

Even though its season ended, Preston, which earned a spot in the title match with a 25-23, 25-13, 25-12 win over Pocatello, remained upbeat, as the team handed out homemade medals to all the players and coaches.

"They're a different team than they were a year ago," Chatterley said of her squad. "We've had a lot of fun. They have tons of heart and tons of drive."