Cypress – The third-seed Chargers (21-4) knocked off six-seed Fullerton (16-7) on Saturday evening in an epic five set thriller (18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-18, 15-9) in the second round of the SoCal Regional.

 

It was the second time this season that the Chargers and Hornets had played to five sets, but Cypress won all three meetings this year against its rival. The win marks the furthest the team has advanced in postseason play since it advanced to State in 2010.

 

Fullerton had control in the first set, easily winning 25-18. In the second set, the Hornets again seemed to have things going their way as they lead 11-5 early on. However, the Chargers battled back on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 11. The two teams fought for points the rest of the way, with the score being tied or slightly in favor of either team. Tied at 20, the Chargers went on a 5-1 run to win the set and tie the game at one all.

 

In the third set, Cypress took the lead early and led by as many as six, but Fullerton was feisty and clawed back to make it a tie game at 23. They scored the final two points of the set to take a 2-1 lead.

 

In the fourth, the Chargers never trailed and easily won 25-18, sending the match to a fifth and final set. Fullerton struck first in the fifth after an ace serve by Carly Bergen, but Cypress would never trail again as the team pulled away to win 15-9.

 

With the win, the Chargers advance to the third round of the SoCal Regional where they will head to No. 2 Grossmont, which holds a 26-0 record this season. The match will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 2 (time TBD).