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Yellowjackets continue to pound ACCAL opponents

By Jared Green
Friday October 04, 2002

The Berkeley High girls volleyball team rolled through yet another league opponent on Thursday, demolishing Pinole Valley in straight games, 15-1, 15-4, 15-0. 

Senior outside hitter Amalia Jarvis led the way for the Yellowjackets with 11 kills and eight digs. Senior Nadia Qabazard had eight aces on the day, with four of them coming as she served the Jackets to a 14-0 lead in the opening game. 

Berkeley head coach Justin Caraway was looking for a strong performance from his team after losing a game to Encinal High on Tuesday, the first game the Jackets have dropped in Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League play this season. That’s about as bad as it gets for Caraway’s team when it comes to league games, as Berkeley has yet to lose against an ACCAL foe in three years. 

Berkeley (7-6 overall, 4-0 ACCAL) had an excellent match from the service line, and Pinole Valley had nearly no offensive game as the Spartans struggled to simply get the ball back over the net. What serves they did return were slammed back at them by Jarvis and senior middle blocker Vanessa Williams, who had eight kills. 

“We ran a lot of offense off of free balls, and we even ran some off of digs, which is a step up for us,” Caraway said. “We still need to be better terminating the ball from certain positions.” 

Berkeley will get its final test of the season at the Castro Valley Tournament this weekend. The Jackets have struggled against top-shelf opposition this season, so the tournament will be a shot at winning against the types of teams they will face in the playoffs. Then it’s likely to be another romp through league play before things get serious again for the postseason.