A6 BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2022
SPORTS
BAKER VOLLEYBALL
Bulldogs sweep Nyssa to start season
College football kicks
off with big matchups
BY HANK KURZ JR.
Associated Press
Baker City Herald
Baker had little trouble
with another bunch of Bull-
dogs, sweeping Nyssa in three
sets in the season-opening
volleyball match Thursday,
Aug. 25 in a sweltering Baker
gym.
Baker dominated each
set, gaining a comfortable
lead early and then quickly
thwarting every Nyssa rally
en route to a 25-14, 25-13, 25-
12 win.
“I thought last night was
an exceptional first game,”
Baker coach Ali Abrego said.
“I thought the girls played
well despite how hot it was in
our gym.”
In the first set Baker took
a 6-2 lead, prompting Nyssa
coach Maddie Speelman to
call timeout.
But that interruption didn’t
affect Baker’s momentum.
Jozie Ramos served four
straight points to boost Bak-
er’s lead to 13-4, and a few
minutes later fellow senior
Makenzie Flanagan had a
kill to give Baker a 15-5 ad-
vantage. After another Nyssa
timeout, Nyssa scored four
straight points on Morgan
Johns’ serve to get within 18-
10, but Baker regained con-
trol to finish out the set.
In the second set Baker
broke out from a 4-3 lead to
go up 12-5, and Ramos later
had consecutive kills to give
Baker a 16-8 lead.
The final set played out
similarly. Ramos had a kill fol-
lowed by four straight service
points and Baker led 11-4.
Nyssa had a brief rally but
Baker went on to take a 20-
11 lead.
Nyssa’s 6-foot-5 hitter Gra-
cie Johnson had a few pow-
erful kills and stifling blocks,
but Baker’s defense was con-
sistent.
“We looked good,” Abrego
said. “I think they executed
what we had been working
on all summer.”
Baker won the JV match,
25-10, 25-13 and 25-12.
Baker also won the JV2
match, 25-19, 25-13.
Baker traveled to La
Grande on Saturday, Aug. 27
for a tournament.
The college football sched-
ule offers a weekly selection of
marquee games between top
teams, and some will hit the
ground running fast this year.
Two Sept. 3 showdowns
could shuffle the preseason
AP Top 25 quickly as No. 5
Notre Dame, with new coach
Marcus Freeman, visits No. 2
Ohio State, and No. 3 Geor-
gia — the defending national
champion — plays No. 11 Or-
egon in Atlanta.
No. 5 NOTRE DAME at No. 2
OHIO STATE, Sept. 3
Freeman’s debut against his
alma mater will set the tone
for both teams, of course,
and it will see Heisman Tro-
phy candidate C.J. Stroud
under center for the Buck-
eyes. There will be nine pre-
season AP All-Americans
on the field between the two
teams. A bit of added intrigue:
High school star edge rusher
Keon Keeley could be among
the 103,000 or so fans in at-
tendance. Keeley previously
committed to the Irish, then
decommitted after the coach-
ing change.
Above: Baker senior Jozie Ramos had a strong match
on Thursday, Aug. 25 as the Bulldogs opened the vol-
leyball season by sweeping Nyssa in the Baker gym.
Left: Baker senior Taylor Dalton makes a pass during
the Bulldogs’ season-opening sweep of Nyssa on
Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in the Baker gym.
Photos by Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
“I thought last night was an exceptional first
game. I thought the girls played well despite
how hot it was in our gym.”
— Ali Abrego, Baker coach
No. 11 OREGON vs. No. 3
GEORGIA (Atlanta), Sept. 3
The Bulldogs lost five first-
round NFL draft choices from
last year’s team on defense, but
they get QB Stetson Bennett
back, potentially adding to his
remarkable story as a former
walk-on who was the MVP in
a national championship game
victory. The Bulldogs’ tenden-
cies, though, are well known
by former defensive coordina-
tor Dan Lanning, who will be
making his debut as the Ducks’
coach after Mario Cristobal
left to take the job at Miami.
No. 13 NORTH CAROLINA STATE
at No. 4 CLEMSON, Oct. 1
Last year, the Wolfpack
ended an eight-game slide
against the Tigers by prevailing
27-21 in double overtime. N.C.
State held Clemson to just 214
yards, its lowest total of the
season, and the loss eventually
helped allow Wake Forest to
end the Tigers’ six-year stran-
glehold on the ACC’s Atlantic
Division title. The Wolfpack
has 10 defensive starters back,
so Clemson has its work cut
out. The programs are picked
to finish 1-2 in the division,
with Clemson first.
No. 6 TEXAS A&M at No. 1
ALABAMA, Oct. 8
This SEC West showdown
might as well be called the
“Beef Bowl” after the spicy
offseason comments over re-
cruiting between Aggies coach
Jimbo Fisher and Crimson Tide
coach Nick Saban. More im-
portant, this could be the decid-
ing game in the division race.
The coaches say they’ve buried
the hatchet, but the winner may
give it a twist. Texas A&M last
won the national championship
in 1939; the Crimson Tide has
six with Saban alone.
No. 14 USC at No. 7 UTAH,
Oct. 15
The Trojans’ ranking is likely
more a tip of the cap to new
coach Lincoln Riley after a 4-8
finish last season. Riley used
the transfer portal hoping to
rebuild the program quickly,
bringing in 24 new players.
The Utes are intent on seeing
returning QB Cam Rising con-
tinue to push their ascent after
their first Pac-12 title and Rose
Bowl appearance. How quickly
Riley’s new systems take hold
will be huge for USC.
No. 12 OKLAHOMA STATE at No.
9 OKLAHOMA, Nov. 19
The Cowboys return 10 of-
fensive starters, including QB
Spencer Sanders, to a team
that came within an eyelash
of the playoff last season. De-
fense has always seemed a
strength and should remain
so with Derek Mason taking
over as coordinator for Jim
Knowles, who took the same
spot at Ohio State. The Soon-
ers had their six-year grip on
Big 12 titles end last season
thanks to a loss to the Cow-
boys. They hope former Clem-
son defensive coordinator
Brent Venables can get them
back on top behind QB Dillon
Gabriel, who passed for more
than 8,000 yards and 70 touch-
downs at Central Florida.
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