A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2021
SPORTS
BAKER VOLLEYBALL
BAKER GIRLS SOCCER
Baker routs Pioneers Ontario tops Baker, 4-1
 Bulldogs have won
9 straight matches
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
The only moment of sus-
pense during Baker’s sweep of
Mac-Hi in a league volleyball
match Thursday evening, Sept.
30 in the Baker gym was in
the fi rst rally.
A Pioneer player bumped
the ball into the rafters.
Where, as players and
spectators below craned their
necks waiting for the ball to
fall, it remained.
Fortunately for the
Bulldogs, ranked fourth in
the state, there were plenty of
other volleyballs available.
And with a combination of
pinpoint serving and pounding
spikes, Baker ran its winning
streak to nine matches and im-
proved to 11-2 on the season.
“I feel like we executed well
yesterday,” Baker coach Ali
Abrego said on Friday morn-
ing, Oct. 1.
The Bulldogs lost only once
during September — a 3-0
sweep by Weiser in the Baker
gym on Sept. 8.
On Thursday evening the
Bulldogs, notwithstanding
the brief delay when the ball
lodged high above, dominated
almost from the start.
Mac-Hi took a 2-1 lead but
with freshman Sofi a Hanson
serving, the Bulldogs scored
four straight points to lead 5-2.
The Pioneers trimmed
Baker’s lead to 10-7, but then,
after a Baker side out, junior
Rylee Elms had the serve.
And she kept serving, for 15
straight points as Baker won
the fi rst set 25-7.
Fellow junior Jozie Ramos
had two powerful spikes dur-
ing the run that Mac-Hi didn’t
touch.
The second set followed a
similar pattern.
Mac-Hi forged an early
tie at 4, but Ramos served six
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Baker junior Rylee Elms, back, and freshman Taylor
Churchfi eld combine to set up a block against Mac-Hi
on Thursday, Sept. 30 in the Baker gym. The Bulldogs
swept the Pioneers for their ninth straight win.
straight points.
After Mac-Hi got within 10-
5, Hanson served 10 straight
points and Baker led 20-5.
The Bulldogs closed out the
set, again winning 25-7.
The fi nal set was slightly
more competitive, as the
Pioneers led 4-3.
Elms served four straight
Baker points — including two
aces — to give the Bulldogs an
8-4 lead.
Senior Lacy Churchfi eld
had two kills as Baker jumped
to an 18-7 lead, a stretch that
included Hanson serving eight
straight points.
Churchfi eld served an
ace to get to match point at
24-12, and her fi nal serve led
to a Mac-Hi passing error that
ended the match.
Although Mac-Hi didn’t
pose as much of a challenge as
some teams Baker has played,
Abrego said she was pleased
with the Bulldogs’ ability to
maintain their focus, and use
the match as a chance to hone
their game.
“It was a really good op-
portunity for us to work on
maintaining our tempo, and I
thought the girls did a really
good job of avoiding errors,”
Abrego said.
She also was happy to have
a chance to get playing time
for the entire roster.
“When you’re building
a program it’s great to get
younger kids exposure at the
varsity level,” Abrego said.
Baker will enter October
trying to keep its winning
streak intact when it plays
host to Ontario Monday, Oct. 4
at 6:30 p.m.
Baker swept the Tigers on
Sept. 28, but Abrego said that’s
no reason for the Bulldogs to
take any opponent lightly.
She said Baker also needs
to stay focused as it prepares
for its fi rst match against rival
La Grande, on Thursday, Oct. 7
at 6:30 p.m. in the Baker gym.
The Baker girls soccer team unveiled
a new offensive formation Thursday,
Sept. 30 against Ontario at the Sports
Complex, and it yielded the fi rst goal of
the season for Jaycee Gray.
That wasn’t enough to overcome the
Tigers in a 4-1 loss.
But Baker assistant coach Christine
Teegarden said the new diamond forma-
tion, which also helped the Bulldogs get
several more shots on goal, could be a key
for the rest of the season.
“I think this new formation is going
to get our offensive dialed in,” Teegarden
said.
The match was close most of the way,
with Ontario leading 2-1 until the Tigers
scored two goals late.
“The fi nal score doesn’t refl ect how
they played most of the game,” Teegarden
said of the Bulldogs.
Ontario scored fi rst.
But later in the fi rst half, Baker used
a series of passes from the new diamond
formation to get the ball to Gray on a
breakaway. She took advantage by net-
MORE COVERAGE
The Baker boys soccer team lost 3-0
at Ontario on Wednesday, Sept. 29.
The loss dropped the Bulldogs’ record
to 1-5.
ting her fi rst goal. Makea Robb had the
assist.
Baker had several other shots, includ-
ing three or four from Sydnee Pierce, but
none found the net.
Teegarden said a couple of Pierce’s
shots were just outside the net.
Teegarden said she and head coach
Eric Layton were pleased with how well
the Bulldogs executed the new formation.
They were also proud of how Baker
handled a physical Ontario team that
was called for several fouls.
“Our girls continued to play clean,”
Teegarden said.
Baker (2-6) returned to nonleague
play this morning, Oct. 2, at Payette, Ida-
ho. The Bulldogs resume their Greater
Oregon League schedule on Tuesday, Oct.
5 when they travel to Milton-Freewater
to play Mac-Hi at 5 p.m.
Beavers ride momentum into
game against Washington
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
CORVALLIS — As the Oregon State
Beavers celebrated their big win at USC,
coach Jonathan Smith proclaimed in the
locker room: “We ain’t done yet.”
The Beavers (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) are
back at home Saturday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.
against Washington (2-2, 1-0) on a mis-
sion to prove that their 45-27 thumping
of the Trojans last week wasn’t a fl uke,
but part of an upward trajectory.
Oregon State is currently second
in the Pac-12 North standings behind
undefeated Oregon. Washington is third.
Smith was asked if this season’s early
success validates what he’s been build-
ing toward in his fourth season at the
helm.
“This is another step in the direction.
It’s always good when you go win on the
road against good teams. We were able
to physically win at the line of scrim-
mage both offensively and defensively,”
Smith said. “I think it shows growth,
overcoming some adversity, knowing
that the game was long and there were
moments where they couldn’t let them
back in the game, we didn’t.”
Now the Beavers are leery of a let-
down against the Huskies.
Washington has won two straight
and is coming off a 31-24 overtime vic-
tory over California. The team opened
the season with a discouraging 13-7 loss
to Montana.
Coach Jimmy Lake said the Huskies
keep improving.
“All they’ve done is gotten back to
work all season long and we are still con-
tinuing to grow and develop,” Lake said.
“It’s been really cool to watch guys take
their game to another level. We have
seen improvement across the board.”
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