POULSBO — For the North Kitsap Lady Vikings, Jamie Heins is the last line of defense.

The senior co-captain plays in a crucial new position for the varsity volleyball squad. As the “libero,” the team’s defensive specialist, she leaves the sets and spikes to her teammates and focuses only on making digs and saves. Playing nearly every point in a match, her mission is simple: find a way to avoid giving up a “kill” and give her team another chance to score.

“My job is to not let the ball touch the ground,” Heins said. “I line up with (the opponent’s) shoulder, and then go for the dig.”

Every game, Jamie throws her body literally all over the court — diving on the hardwood, dashing to make a save — finding a way to keep the ball in play. While many teams are still be making adjustments to accommodate the new position, Heins has given the Vikes an advantage from the get go.

“(As the libero) I can leave her out there for every play, but one,” said Head Coach Clay Blackwood. “And that gives me someone out there that I know is going to get the job done.”

Heins played the back row last year and has always been a more defensive-minded player since she began playing competitively in seventh grade. The new position allows her to focus solely on the aspect of volleyball she loves most.

“It is so much fun to just to stay back there and dig,” she said. “My adrenaline is always pumping and I have to always be thinking out there.”

In many ways, the new libero position (pronounced lee-BAHR-owh) is like a soccer goalie — there’s one on each team, the player wears a different-colored jersey and makes the majority of all defensive plays. It is also a player on the team everyone else must trust.

“It’s a competition within yourself,” Heins said. “(As a libero) you want to be the best out there.”

In any play in which the opposing team is on the offensive, Heins steadies herself, and watches carefully as they set up for a kill. After the set, she eyes the movement of the opposing outside hitter, and then predicts where the spike will go. Moving into position, she attempts to put her arms under the ball to get it back in the air.

The team libero is not allowed to participate in the more offensive side of the game — and so Heins must focus on every play with the same idea in mind: dig, dig, dig.

Coach Blackwood said he admires the diligence that Heins brings to the court. In a position that plays nearly every point, work ethic plays a huge role in the overall team’s success. A libero’s saves can make or break team confidence.

“Jamie has more heart than three lions put together,” Blackwood said. “She doesn’t have the height to be a big hitter up front, but it is her dedication in the back court that makes her a great player.”

Last weekend in Bellevue, the team played five best-two-out-of-three matches in two days, in which Heins made 64 digs overall.

She makes it look easy, but admitted that all that “digging” can be painful.

“(Slides) can definitely hurt,” she said. “I’ve been playing with bruised ribs for awhile, but I’m used to the pain.”

Blackwood said Heins makes 85 to 90 percent of all digs in each game.

“She’s always playing with bumps and bruises,” he explained.

Heins keeps herself busy year-round, playing third base for the girls’ fastpitch team in the spring. She said she feels more “well-rounded” as a softball player, using both offensive and defensive skills. But she appreciates having a sport in two seasons to keep her endurance up, both mentally and physically.

“By playing all year, it keeps me in shape for both sports,” she said. “And the basic mentality to play in both (sports) is the same.”

Sports, and volleyball specifically, have taught her the most important life lessons, she remarked.

“Volleyball helps me with team work and it helps build relationships. You learn how to communicate, build trust and relate to people.”

A senior, Heins isn’t looking to play volleyball in college. But she has no trouble now balancing her busy academic and athletic lives.

“I can balance the schedule,” she said. “But homework is my first priority. Education is the most important thing to me.”