There are some things Century’s Kayla Ellis does on the volleyball court that make head coach Pauline Thiros scratch her head.

    It’s those moments, those hard to teach and impossible to explain acts of sheer athleticism and instinct that pegged Ellis as the Idaho Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year.

    “Her defense is all about discipline,” Thiros said. “We teach kids not to move until that ball is hit. If you’re not stopped at the moment the hitter attacks the ball, that hitter will beat you.

    “(Ellis is) so quick and with such discipline gets stopped and then has the confidence to just wait and react to whatever happens. ... That’s the reason she can chase down those balls.”

    On the defensive side, Ellis posted 559 digs and 39 blocks. She also registered 488 service receptions, 88 assists and 71 aces.

    But Ellis, a junior and an Oregon State commit, isn’t all about defense. The outside hitter sparks fear in any player who happens to be in the way of an Ellis kill, and she’s got a lot of them. Ellis finished her season with the Diamondbacks with 647 kills, a .327 hitting percentage and a .414 kill percentage.

    The truth is, Ellis is an all-around volleyball player. With a nose for the game since the age of 6, she’s been the cornerstone of the D-back squad.

    “She is relentless and fearless in the way that she plays,” Thiros said. “She’s a real leader on the court. Everything she does is 110 percent. She’s just a take-it-all-the-way-to-the-wall kind of player.”

    Ellis’ skill hasn’t developed overnight, and it doesn’t come easy. She works at it every day, and it’s never because she feels like she’s obligated to. No, she’s in the gym grinding out long days and longer nights because she wants to get better and knows the competition is getting better too.

    Hours upon hours Ellis spends perfecting and honing her skills. It’s a deliberate, I-can-always-do-better attitude that has her on top of Idaho high school volleyball. It’s a persona Ellis embraces, and it’s a volleyball drive engraved in her through her mother, who played at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and her sister, Jenna, Century’s 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year who now plays at Idaho.

    “I have to keep working hard,” she said. “I can’t just let myself stop here. I have to get even better because when I go to Oregon State especially, the level that I’ll be playing at is so much faster. So I have to keep pushing myself to get better.”

    “Coaches talk about deliberate practice,” Thiros said. “She’s getting better every touch because that’s her intention. ... There isn’t one rep that girl takes the whole year that isn’t absolutely focused on how it can be better and advance her game. And that’s what turned her into this kind of a player.”

    Ellis thunders the court, but that’s a third of the reason Gatorade chose her as the top player in the state. Another third is academics. With a 4.06 weighted GPA, Ellis will be buried in a book on the bus or before practice to make sure she’s ahead of her studying.

    It’s just another aspect of Ellis’ life where she wants to succeed.

    “She’s the kid before you leave for a tournament she’s freaking out making sure she’s got all her homework,” Thiros said.

    The final third is Ellis’ work in the Pocatello community. She’s a volunteer for various food drives and youth groups set up through Grace Lutheran Church and spends her time as a youth volleyball counselor and coach.

    “She’s just a really well-rounded kid that seems to want to be constructive and focused with her time doing things that are important and useful,” Thiros said.

    Ellis has one year remaining with the Diamondbacks. While she hopes she repeats as Gatorade Player of the Year, her first goal is to earn Century a fifth straight state title. The accolades? If she does well enough, they’ll come later.

    “I have to keep up my good work to be able to get it again, but it’s a good goal,” Ellis said. “I have to have a good season, so my goal is to have a great season, and then we’ll go from there.”