![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“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 it's played such a major role in who I've 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 I'm [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)
![“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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't 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)
![“[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)
![“I'm 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 there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's 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)
Last weekend, Varsity tennis traveled to Monterey for the 54th Santa Catalina Invitational Tournament, winning second place overall.
Individual victories include Jenny Chen (10) placing first in the number one singles flight. Jenny is the third student in a row at the Upper School to win this flight. Moreover, Shwetha Bharadwaj (9) won the number two singles flight.
The lineup at the tournament included Daria Karakoulka (10) as third and Chau Nguyen (10) as fourth. Both Daria and Chau made it to the semi finals.
Doubles teams were Tanya Piskun (11) and Katia Miranova (9) in the first spot, Aranshi Kumar (11) and Sahithya Prakash (9) as second, and Jaya Chandra (11) and Sylvie Dobrota (10) in third.
Number one doubles partners Tanya and Katia made it to the semi finals of their flight, but lost that match. Number two doubles played and lost in the second round against Saint Francis High School.
The team was tied for first place 40 – 40 with St. Francis High School until number three doubles team Jaya Chandra (11) and Sylvie Dobrota (10) lost straight sets.
In regard to the team’s performance at the tournament, Aranshi and Chau believe the team played well compared to their expectations.
“Last year we got second, and this year we got second, [and] next year we are definitely going to want to get first,” Aranshi said. “This year, I think we wanted to win, but it’s ok, it was a really good accomplishment, especially for a really young team. We don’t have many experienced players on the team, so it felt really good to show other teams that we could still do just as well with freshmen and sophomores.”
“I actually thought that our team last year was going to be better, but this year we have so much fun and we’re really good; our freshman are really good,” Chau said.
Head coach Craig Pasqua agreed that not having last year’s seniors on the team was an obstacle; however, he felt that the girls were able to overcome their anxiety.
“Of course, it is still evident that errors in consistency and shot selection were the major misfires, but these errors should diminish as the season moves forward. The team competed with more intensity and fervor than they have in the past,” Pasqua said. “We’re a team lacking major stars, but by pulling together and supporting one another, we’re able to use that team spirit as energy and propel us forward.”
In addition, Tanya added the team really bonded over the course of the tournament.
“I think it really helps the team bonding because you’re overnight with your team, [and] you get to know everyone. Plus it’s really early in the season too, so it kind of sets everything,” she said. “You experience a lot on the trip, lots of jokes, laughter, wins, triumphs, and you need to comfort your team when you lose too.”
