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The first year of ACCAL play for the Berkeley High girls’ volleyball team has been an easy one. The team lost just two games in league play, going 12-0 in cruising to the title. 

With their final victory over El Cerrito Thursday, the Yellowjackets clinched a home date for their first-round North Coast Section playoff match. 

“That’s huge,” said Berkeley head coach Justin Caraway after the 15-3, 15-6, 15-0 win. “Being able to host that first-round game will give us a big boost.” 

Despite the home game, however, Caraway feels his team will have to pull an upset to win their first matchup. 

Part of his hesitancy comes from the fact that the ’Jackets haven’t really been tested in league play. The new league has lowered the bar for his team, and that could hurt them in the playoffs. 

“I’m glad we went undefeated and won the league, but I wish we had faced some tougher competition. The only real challenges came from Encinal and Alameda, but that’s not enough,” he said. 

Senior outside hitter Lizzi Akana said the team knew they could go undefeated in the new league. 

“It was definitely our goal,” she said. “We were just hoping for more competition to make our team better.” 

The final victory took less than an hour, as Berkeley’s powerful hitters sapped the spirit from the overwhelmed Gauchos. 

The Yellowjackets ran off a seven-point streak before the visitors knew what his them, and it was a short road to victory in the game, as Akana served out the last five points.  

After jumping out to another 7-0 lead in the second game, the ‘Jackets seemd to ease off, and El Cerrito scored five straight points to pull within four points. But Caraway’s team bore down and didn’t allow another point, and the Gauchos were all but finished.  

A quick final game featured just one side-out by El Cerrito, as freshman Gina Colombatto hit three aces during a 13-point service streak that ended the match and the regular season.