MILLER – Miller’s presence in this year’s Class A volleyball state tournament field didn’t happen by accident.

But neither was it a foregone conclusion.

The Rustlers had to believe in themselves and each other, but once they figured that piece out, they’ve been on an absolute tear.

At 32-2, Miller has rattled off 14 straight victories, including a 3-0 sweep of Groton to reach the state tournament for the first time in three seasons.

“I think we’re just well-balanced,” said Miller coach Linda DeBoer. “That’s one of the things that has been strong about this team – our balance, both offensively and defensively. It seems like every night, we have someone else leading us in kills. We don’t have that go-to hitter.”

Of course, the Rustlers have some familiar names – Abby Blake, Jaden Werdel and Ally Mullaney keep the offense humming. Tyra Gates is a senior setter with a wealth of experience and Jolie Palmer is a freshman libero who has impressed in her short career.

Still, there had to be a belief born in themselves.

“I don’t know if people expected us to be where we are,” DeBoer said. “We kind of wanted to fly under the radar for a while, but after we had beaten Northwestern and taken a set from Warner, the girls started to be like, we can compete with some of the best.”

That win over Northwestern came back in September, and the two battles with Warner were also during the early portion of the season. In fact, that last meeting with the Monarchs resulted in a 3-set Warner win at the Redfield Tournament on Oct. 1.

It was the last time Miller has tasted defeat.

“It has been such a great experience,” DeBoer said. “Not only do they believe in themselves, they believe and trust in themselves. That has helped them play for each other on the court. Sometimes it’s hard to put individual goals aside, but this team knows they have to put those aside for the good of the team.”

DeBoer knows a little something about success herself. The veteran coach is closing in on her 700th career victory, and while she won’t reach it this season, she’s very much at peace with it.

“I just want this season to be about the girls,” she said.

Ironically, the last time Miller was in the state tournament, DeBoer was on the cusp of another milestone.

“It would have been my 600th career win if we had beaten Sioux Falls Christian,” DeBoer said.

Christian edged out Miller in the semifinals of that tournament in four tightly-contested sets.

That was three years ago, and this year’s seniors were there to witness a team that included the likes of Kayde Fernholz, who is now the starting middle blocker on the Kansas State University Wildcat program.

“These girls were freshmen then and they thought, ‘Hey, we want to do that too,’ ” DeBoer said.

Miller will tip off this year’s tournament as the No. 2 seed, taking on Platte-Geddes at 5 p.m. Thursday in Sioux Falls.