It's not the approach they are taking, but the Elkettes of Pojoaque Valley High School are always defending something.

In November 2007, it was the championship of the Class AAA State Volleyball Tournament. On Friday, the Elkettes arrive at the Tournament of Champions as just that — champions.

"He's always got his girls ready to play," Sam Estrada, Santa Fe High School head coach, says of Brian Ainsworth, his counterpart at Pojoaque Valley.

Santa Fe High and St. Michael's are co-hosts for the 16-team, two-day tournament that features pool play Friday morning and bracket play Friday afternoon. The championship is set for 6 Saturday night in Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium on the Santa Fe High School campus.

Do Ainsworth and his Elkettes expect to be there?

"Basically, we're trying to see where we're at as a team," Ainsworth says of his Elkettes, who are 3-0 heading into tonight's nondistrict match against Española Valley. "We want to go and compete to the best of our ability. Win or lose, we'll walk out with another week of preparation for our district."

District 2AAA is well-represented. In addition to the Elkettes, St. Michael's, Santa Fe Indian School, Las Vegas Robertson and West Las Vegas also accepted invitations.

"Everybody is bragging about how well St. Michael's is playing, how well Robertson is playing," Ainsworth says. "It might be pretty exciting to watch them play, to see if the hype is worth the watch.

"It will be exciting to see them play better competition. It will be exciting for us to play better competition. I think we're real good, but we've got some really good teams in the tournament this year. Me, personally, I'm excited to see if all the hype is true or not."

Pojoaque is in Pool B, joining Piedra Vista, Hot Springs and the Santa Fe High junior varsity. St. Michael's is in Pool C, with West Las Vegas, Taos and Hatch Valley. Robertson is part of Pool A, along with Santa Fe High, Farmington and Belen. In Pool D, the quartet is Santa Fe Indian School, Capital, Clovis and Española Valley.

The top-two teams from each pool advance to the Gold Bracket at Santa Fe High. The bottom two teams dip into the Silver Bracket at St. Michael's. The quarterfinal matches pit Pool A against Pool D. Pool B and C are lumped together.

"Hopefully, we can come out first or second in our pool," Ainsworth said. "That way we can see exactly where we're at before district."

What the Elkettes are right now is mature in the front row and more athletic than the state championship team of 2006. What the Elkettes have always been is air-tight defensively and pinpoint passers.

That maturity can be measured statistically. The Elkettes average between 40-50 kills per match, with only seven hitting errors. A year ago, it was 35 kills to 30 errors.

"We're not beating ourselves like we did last year," Ainsworth says.

Offense is on the mind of Chela Butler, who guided St. Michael's to the 2002 state championship.

"We'd like to improve in our offensive output," Butler says. "I think we have a lot of balance, and I'd like to continue that. But we've been working on some different things as a way of getting more girls involved in our offense."

St. Michael's is off to a 4-1 start, with its lone loss coming to Clovis in the final of the Clovis Invitational. Still, the Lady Horsemen know it is far too early to rest on any laurels. And, there is work to do.

"I'd like to see a strong serve receive from our team," Butler says. "I'd be happy if we improved on that, no matter where we finished."

That's not all Butler will be watching. She is eager to scout the rest of 2AAA.

"You don't want to get too excited if you beat them, because you still have two more matches in district and a possible third match in the district tournament," Butler says. "So, you don't want to look too far ahead. We have a full district season to get ready for. But, definitely, if we play them and survive, it will give us a lot of confidence."

Estrada has another "c" word on his mind.

"Consistency," Estrada answers, when asked what he wants out of the tournament. "That's what we've been missing all along."

Consistency would reduce the Demonettes' unforced errors, which are mostly to blame for their 0-6 season.

Consistency in mechanics would enhance an offense that is more potential than potent.

Consistency in serve receive would make life easier on the setters, who are trying to run a quicker outside set.

"Receiving balls is a tough one unless you've been doing it for a long time," Estrada says.

The Demonettes haven't.

"We're behind on the reps," Estrada says. "We're trying to correct that."

Estrada took over in July. Titles are not on his mind.

"You would hope you would be further along at this point," Estrada says. "For us, unfortunately, this tournament is about preparation for the end of the year. We need to get in there and play as hard as we can and see if we can improve."

The competition is there.

Butler sees four favorites, maybe five.

"But there are some surprise teams," she says. "There's a good six, seven teams that can beat anyone on a given day. You can't overlook anyone."