![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and its played such a major role in who Ive become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something Im [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala (21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“Im not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
Varsity girls volleyball coach Theresa Smith wins 300th career game
Coach Smitty cheers on varsity girls volleyball players during practice. She has won 300 games as a coach.
Upper school varsity girls volleyball coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith won the 300th win of her coaching career at Harker on Oct 10., where the girls won against Sequoia High School and placed second at the Belmont 2015 Tiger Cup Varsity Volleyball Tournament.
Smitty has been working at Harker for the past 26 years, in which she has coached the upper school volleyball team for 17 years.
She played volleyball as a high school student at St. Francis High School. She played for De Anza College for two years and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) for three years, one of which was a redshirt year. A redshirt year is a season in which the athletes do not participate in games in order to lengthen their eligibility to play for another season.
Smitty reflects upon how she felt when she found out that her 300th win was coming up.
“I felt pretty good actually,” she said. “Tired, but good. It was brought to my attention this season that I was nearing 300 wins and it was at that time that it dawned on me that it was a pretty cool accomplishment.”
Defensive specialist Taylor Iantosca (11) reflects on the season so far and how she feels about Smitty’s win.
“Our team has improved a lot this season and I’m really happy that we were able to get Smitty her 300th win,” Taylor said.
Smitty also attributes her success to the help of her assistant coaches, Alex Jones, Stephanie Coleman and Yagmur Ilgen, as well as the players on the teams she has coached.
“[It is] certainly not all about me,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of very good players come through this program and have had a lot of talented assistant coaches that make me look good, so the credit goes to all of them too.”
Smitty enjoys helping the girls learn to compete and developing long-term friendships as a result of playing the sport.
“My favorite part about coaching [is] getting a group of girls to compete and enjoy doing it,” she said. “Also the lifelong bonds you develop with most of your players.”
The next game for the girls volleyball team will take place tomorrow at 5:45 p.m. at the Blackford campus, where the girls will face off against Menlo School.
Raveena Kapatkar (12) is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. She is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff. As a freshman, she was a reporter...
![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-600x397.jpg)
