POCATELLO - For a long time now, Century has known it was headed to the 4A state volleyball tournament.

All season, the Diamondbacks demolished their nearby competition and built a jaw-dropping 42-6 record. They were good, everyone knew it and it was only a matter of time until they got to play for a state championship.

With that in mind, Century coach Alice Heberlein has geared her teams' practices and games for nothing other than properly preparing for today's 10 a.m. first-round match against Kuna.

"For us, the goal has always been to play the best we possibly can and go up there peaking at the right time," Heberlein said. "Playing your best, that's what we hope for. That's what I've trained them to do and designed practice for, to peak at this time."

Seeing as how Century's wins have been coming by wider margins lately, there is no reason to believe the Diamondbacks won't play their best volleyball at state.

Because even though Century isn't blessed with the height that some teams possess, it prides itself on defense.

"The reason the girls are so good is their defense," Heberlein said. "We're not a tall team by any measure, but our girls play phenomenal defense. We get hands on a lot of balls, and that frustrates other teams by getting them out of their system. Then we score points on them because of our defense."

Heberlein said junior Kylie Reeder has been the Diamondbacks' defensive leader.

"She is one of the best defensive players I've seen," Heberlein said. "Out of all the teams we've played this year, she's definitely one of the best."

Libero Kaneshia Nelson has also been an anchor on the defensive front.

But it's not like the Diamondbacks are inept on offense. Their defense may be strong, but freshman Jenna Ellis consistently comes up with more kills than anyone in the region, and Charelle Minor and Tasi Kelemete have been strong all season long.

Heading into the state tournament, they're all confident.

"I think they're ready to go," Heberlein said. "I feel really good about our last few weeks of practice. I am very excited for the weekend. We all are."