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Coming off of the high of their first-ever ACCAL win on Tuesday, the Berkeley High boys’ volleyball team suffered a letdown against Richmond on Thursday, losing in straight games, 15-11, 15-12, 15-9. 

Unlike Tuesday, the ’Jackets (2-1, 1-1 ACCAL) committed numerous errors against the Oilers, struggling to mount any offense thanks to poor passing. They managed just 16 kills, 13 of them from junior Robin Roach. 

“We have to pass well to have any kind of consistent offense,” said Berkeley assistant coach Kingman Lim, who coached the team in the absence of head coach Justin Caraway, who was away coaching his club team. “If we develop some consistency, we can keep up with teams.” 

The second game was typical of the ’Jackets up-and-down play. Down 14-5, they fought back to within two points at 14-12, thanks to three kills by Roach and some Oiler hitting errors. But two bad passes in a row took away any chance for Berkeley to tie the score, and they went down quietly. 

The third game was much the same. Up 3-1, they gave up six straight points and never got back in the game. 

“I think we got down mentally, and let Richmond get a bunch of points in a row,” Kingman said. “We have to play point-by-point and not let those long streaks happen.” 

Even Roach, the team’s star and most consistent player, was guilty of some lowlights, making four hitting errors in the final game. The junior is the team’s only real offensive threat and was the only player with more than one kill on Thursday despite constant double-teaming. 

“It’s tough when you put all your eggs in one basket,” Kingman said. “But Robin’s pretty good even when he has to get by two blockers.” 

The ’Jackets will take next week off for spring break, then face the overwhelming league favorite El Cerrito on April 9.