La Verne, CA — The Bearcats couldn’t stave off a furious Chino Hills Freshman squad in a three-set thriller. After dropping the opening set 22–25, the Bearcats came roaring back in the second. The Huskies refused to let them pull away, battling through several long rallies late in the set. The Bearcats held their nerve, taking the second 25–23 to even the match and force a decisive third set. The Bearcats came out firing in the final frame, using strong serving and clutch swings to build a 12–8 lead. But the Huskies had no intention of going quietly. Chino Hills stormed back to tie the set at 12–12 before a big kill from Serena Hou put the Bearcats back in front, 13–12. The Huskies answered with a kill of their own, and from there, the two teams traded points in a tense battle to the finish. With the set tied late, Chino Hills found the corner with a perfectly placed shot to take the third set 17–15 and seal the match. A hard-fought battle from start to finish, with the Bearcats showing plenty of fight and resilience in a thrilling freshman showdown. The Freshman Bearcats will have a few days to regroup. Next: Tues, Aug 18 @ West Covina 3:00 PM