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The East Bay Athletic League boys volleyball race got a little tighter on Thursday evening, when Berkeley High avenged its March 21 loss to Amador Valley, defeating the Dons in five games on the road.  

Though undefeated Foothill looks to have a solid hold on the EBAL championship, the Yellowjackets entered Thursday’s match knowing that a victory could propel them in their quest for second place. Things looked grim for Berkeley after it allowed the Dons a 15-2 win in the fourth game to tie the game score at two, but a strong showing in the final game would salvage the triumph for BHS, 15-13, 14-16, 15-9, 2-15, 15-7. 

“This was a pretty good win. We played much better than last time we played (Amador),” BHS coach Justin Caraway said. “We probably outscored them, 12-0, (at the end) of that fifth game. I think they got tentative, and didn’t expect us to come out and be as focused as we were.” 

Mason Chin and D.Q. Li controlled the tempo on offense, finishing with 17 kills apiece on the evening. As a team, the ’Jackets posted a sky-high 87 digs and 21 blocks, making it one of the squad’s best efforts of the season, both offensively and defensively. 

“With the exception of that fourth game, we really outplayed them all night long,” the BHS coach said.