THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A5
SPORTS
Baker rallies to nip Burns
 Bulldogs hand Hilanders
their 2nd loss of season
By COREY KIRK
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
For the second match in a
row, the Baker volleyball team
went to a deciding fi fth set,
and for the second time the
Bulldogs came away with the
win, rallying past Burns in a
thriller Tuesday evening, Sept.
7 in the Baker gym.
Baker, which lost two of
the fi rst three sets, handed the
Hilanders just their second
loss of the season. Burns is 6-2
overall.
Baker, which followed its
fi ve-set win at Union on Sept.
2, improved to 3-1.
Baker coach Ali Abrego
said the Bulldogs came to-
gether as a team in their fi rst
match following the Labor
Day weekend.
“Really focused on defense,
serve receive in particular, and
serving,” Abrego said. “Just
like getting into a groove and
working as a cohesive unit.”
Baker captain Lacy
Churchfi eld, the team’s only
senior, said she felt Baker was
prepared for Burns, which is
a top team in the Class 3A
ranks, after a tough practice
on Monday.
Churchfi eld said Tuesday’s
match was also important as
its the fi rst in a hectic week for
the Bulldogs, who play on fi ve
straight days.
“If we didn’t show up today,
it was going to be a very long
week,” Churchfi eld said.
The Bulldogs started
strong against the Hilanders,
winning the fi rst set 25-21.
But Burns bounced back
immediately, winning sets two
and three in decisive fashion,
25-13 and 25-10.
Abrego was frustrated
with Baker’s lack of consis-
tency, which contributed to the
team’s struggles in the middle
of the match.
In particular, she said the
Bulldogs struggled to recog-
nize when Burns players went
for a tip rather than a spike.
“Obviously it’s hard when
you are in the game, but if you
see somebody’s hand go up,
they are going to tip but not
swing, that’s an adjustment
With consecutive wins in
long, competitive matches,
Abrego said she’s excited for
the league season to start,
with a Sept. 14 match at
Ontario.
“I hope they can fi gure
out a way to remember what
it feels like to win big games
like this, because each set to
25 is an opportunity to get a
big win for us,” Abrego said.
“We come off this big win for
us against Burns, we got to
show up tomorrow, we have
another one,” Abrego said. “We
just have to remember muscle
memory, train your body and
train your mind.”
Baker, in the midst of a
busy series of home matches,
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald played Weiser, Idaho, on
Wednesday, Pendleton on
Baker junior captain Jozie Ramos, center, gets ready to spike the ball on Tuesday,
Sept. 7 against Burns in the Baker gym. Waiting for a possible return are teammates, Thursday, a tournament on
Friday and then on Saturday,
left to right, Ashlyn Dalton, Macey Moore, Lacy Churchfi eld and Rylee Elms. Baker
a chance to avenge an earlier
rallied to beat the Hilanders in fi ve sets.
loss to McCall-Donnelly.
that they need to make quick- wall, the Bulldogs held off the positive on the fourth set, into
Though the schedule is
Hilanders 25-22 in the fourth the fi fth set and that’s really,
er,” Abrego said. “They had a
packed this week, Churchfi eld
set to force a decisive fi fth set. really important. We gave it
few rotations that sucked us
knows that the team will be
our all.”
Churchfi eld said she was
out of a few points. It happens,
ready.
In the deciding set, the
confi dent as that set started.
you can’t be perfect all of the
“We have that win and now
“I didn’t have the mindset teams traded the lead several we have that long week ahead
time, but coming out of that
times.
big of a loss and coming back that we were going to lose,
of us, we just have to keep
But Baker eventually
I kept it positive, and that’s
to winning the match, that’s
that in the back of our minds,
forged a lead and held on,
what we needed as a team,”
awesome.”
tomorrow is a new game,”
15-13.
she said. “My team kept it
With their backs to the
Churchfi eld said.
AP Top 25 Reality Check: Are
4 newcomers built to last?
• No. 2 Georgia (1-0)
Tech averaged a paltry 4.77
Next: vs UAB, Saturday.
yards per play against the
Reality check: Bulldogs
Tar Heels.
Week one of the college
have about a month (UAB,
The Hokies have been
football season featured
South Carolina, Vanderbilt
ranked in parts of the last
eight ranked teams losing.
and Arkansas) to get their
Having fi ve games matching three seasons without
fi nishing ranked under coach receivers healthy and their
ranked teams will do that.
offense cranked up.
The result was four new Justin Fuente. Don’t get too
• No. 3 Ohio State (1-0)
teams moving into the fi rst comfortable, Hokies.
Next: vs No. 12 Oregon,
• No. 1 Alabama (1-0)
AP Top 25 of the regular
Next: vs. Mercer, Saturday. Saturday.
season: No. 16 UCLA, No. 19
Reality check: Buckeyes
Reality check: Mercer.
Virginia Tech, No. 20 Missis-
Miami. Does it even matter? have some things to sort
sippi and No. 25 Auburn.
out on the second and third
Alabama has been making
At the top of the poll
presented by Regions Bank, most of its opponents look like levels of their defense. Can
FCS teams, winning 13 of the the Ducks exploit it? Does it
Alabama strengthened its
matter with all the weapons
last 14 games — all against
grip on No. 1 and Georgia
Power Five teams — by
moved up to No. 2 to give
Ohio State has at receiver and
double digits.
the Southeastern Confer-
running back?
ence the top two teams
in the country for the
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against a challenging SEC
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Auburn was near fl aw-
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Tech. The Hokies should feel
good about beating then-No.
10 North Carolina in their
opener, but beware: Virginia
By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Baker junior Skylar Roy controls the ball during the second half against Four Rivers
on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at the Baker Sports Complex. Baker won the match, 8-0.
Bulldogs blank
Four Rivers, 8-0
 Sydnee Pierce
has 4 goals, and
Daphne Thomas 3
With Baker leading 2-0 at
tine Teegarden said. “One of
the goals going into today was halftime, the coaching staff
to keep playing your game the focused on encouraging the
Bulldogs to be more consis-
whole time.”
tent with their passing.
Baker got on the score-
“You need to stick that
board early with goals from
stitching passes together
Pierce and junior Brook-
By COREY KIRK
smartly, and navigating up
lyn Jaca.
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
The Bulldogs kept the ball the fi eld, so we did see some
Baker’s girls soccer team
of that today, moments of
mainly on the Falcons’ side
continued its domination
brilliance, so we know that it’s
of the fi eld, and Teegarden
over Four Rivers of Ontario
said she was proud of Baker’s there,” Teegarden said. “We
on Tuesday, Sept. 7, netting
are honing it in, but they start
defense.
eight goals and shutting out
“Our defensive mids, learn- to leave it behind the moment
the Falcons.
Baker (2-3) won its second ing how to drop into cover so they feel frantic.”
Baker had no trouble
that when anybody from the
straight match against
offensively in the second
defensive line (is) making a
Four Rivers.
The Bulldogs beat the Fal- play up (so) that we still have 40 minutes, netting six
more goals.
cons 5-1 at Ontario on Sept. 2. that coverage there, and we
Teegarden said she hopes
were not leaving an empty
Junior Sydnee Pierce led
weak space,” Teegarden said. the Bulldogs are gaining
Baker’s offensive onslaught
confi dence as they prepare
One of those midfi elders
with four goals, three of those
for the start of league play on
fl oating around the defense
coming in the second half.
was senior Maya Smith. She Sept. 21, when they host La
Fellow junior Daphne
Grande.
Thomas had a hat trick, all said a collective effort kept
“Now we have had a
Four Rivers from getting
three goals coming af-
couple of wins, so what I want
many shots on goal.
ter halftime.
them to take away from that
“It was really big, espe-
“I wasn’t feeling great the
cially considering all the other is what we have been practic-
fi rst half, so it was kind of
games that we played where ing,” Teegarden said.
nice to come back through
Baker will continue
the second half,” Thomas said. defense has always been
its nonleague schedule
“Following through defi nitely every man for themselves, it
by traveling to Fruitland,
helped a lot, if I wouldn’t have was really nice to work as a
team and not all be winded in Idaho, on Sept. 14 for a 4 p.m.
followed through, I prob-
PST kickoff.
forty minutes,” Smith said.
ably wouldn’t have gotten
any goals.”
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