kang@journalnet.com

POCATELLO - If there's one thing Breanne Van Every and her Highland teammates have grown most comfortable doing as the year has progressed, it's getting in a teammate's face for playing sluggishly.

And the Rams will tell you, they wouldn't have it any other way.

"When I'm down, Breanne's always yelling at me to get up," senior middle blocker Emma Filiaga said. "That helps me a lot because sometimes, I'm just pouty on the court. That's not good, but Breanne gets in my head, and I'm like, I can do it."

That's happened a lot this season, with the Rams becoming more familiar with one another. After missing out on the 5A state tournament during its first two years at Highland, the current senior class finally broke through last year and captured third place at state.

Another year playing together means another year of friendship the Rams have developed, and they hope their camaraderie will help them improve on their showing from last year.

"It's important being so close because when you trust your teammates, you're going to play your best so you don't let them down," Van Every said. "You're going to close your blocks so the back-row people don't look bad. You're going to get that dig up, so that your friend can get a kill."

Highland (30-13) plays its first-round match against Timberline (18-9) at 1 p.m. today at Hillcrest High, with a second match to follow later in the day.

The Rams lost in straight sets to eventual champion Eagle in the opening round last year. They then managed to win three matches in the loser-out bracket before losing in four sets to Idaho Falls to fall short of the championship match.

The Rams admitted their first state tournament experience began in nerve-wracking fashion, but they realized by the end that they could compete with anyone. That's the mindset they will carry to Idaho Falls this year.

"We'll go in a little bit more confident and play loose," senior outside hitter Amy Teuscher said. "No matter the game, when it's intense and stuff, you always get a little bit nervous. Now that we have experience and we've learned a lot, we'll go in confident."

Since then, the Rams have had a year to work on their teamwork. It has become almost second nature for junior setter Nikki Meline to fire low, quick sets that Filiaga favors and the high, floating ones that Van Every prefers.

More importantly, the Rams have had another year to bond, giving them more leeway to occasionally scold, but mostly enjoy the company of their teammates.

"We're really good friends on and off the court, and it's just hard," Meline said. "Senior night was hard. It's sad that we're not going to be with them next year. But we wish them the best of luck with what they're going to do after high school. State would mean everything for them and for us."