![“[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)
Varsity girls volleyball loses home opener against St. Francis
Doreene Kang (12) prepares to spike the ball. The Eagles lost to first-ranked St. Francis in their home opener today.
The varsity girls’ volleyball team lost their first home game against the first-ranked team in CCS, the St. Francis Lancers, at 5:30 p.m. yesterday at the Blackford gym.
The Lancers took the lead in the first set with a score of 19-25, but the Eagles followed with back to back wins in the second and third sets with scores of 25-22 and 25-16 respectively. In the fourth set, the two teams were neck and neck with the Lancers pulling away with a 27-25 win, and the Eagles lost the fifth and final set 9-15, ending the game with a loss.
“We’ve been preparing really hard, and we go into the gym and work hard every day, and it was a great set, or a great five-set match,” the Lancers’ varsity volleyball team captain Jenna Adams (12) said. “Harker played really well, and we went out there and tried to pick up a lot of tips, and it was a really exciting and entertaining game.”
Prior to this game, the Eagles played several away games, including a tournament. At the beginning of this season, the team faced the loss of some veteran players due to graduation or injury.
“So far, we’re trying to do our best,” varsity girls’ volleyball captain Jacqueline Chen (12) said. “We lost people last year, we lost some people this year, but it’s ok, we’re doing our best.”
Last year, the girls had a phenomenal season with a 19-10 overall record while qualifying for the second round of the Northern California Championships at Sonora High. The team currently has a 4-4 season record.
“We had a great two preseason games, and we played well at the tournament, so I think this season is going to go really well,” varsity volleyball player Isabella Spradlin (10) said.
Since this was the Eagles’ first home game, an organized group of sports supporters brought out a large crowd of students to cheer for the players through all five sets, asking all of them to wear black in support of the players.
“[The black-out] was pretty good,” co-director of athletic affairs for Harker Spirit Club Oisin Coveney (12) said. “It was more than I expected for a weekday game, so we’ve got a bunch of people out here screaming and shouting, so it’s really cool. I don’t think they’ve had this before for a regular season game, so it’s awesome.”
Prior to the game, team parents provided upper school students with free pizza and water bottles. Several parents bore green and white pompoms and waved colorfully decorated signs adorned with messages such as “Go Eagles,” “Do the Wave” and “Get Louder,” cheering loudly in support of the Eagles.
“It’s amazing,” Brian Richardson, parent of varsity volleyball captain Shannon Richardson (12), said after the second set of the game. “St. Francis, a little while ago, beat Archbishop Mitty, who’s the powerhouse in the valley for the first time in a long time, and today we won [a set] against them, and hopefully we can win them all and be the top team in the valley.”
The junior varsity volleyball players also played a team from St. Francis before the varsity game, and many players stayed during the varsity game to cheer and help with scorekeeping.
Several other students and faculty stopped to watch a few sets of the match as they passed through the gym, occasionally joining spectators in the stands sometimes to participate in the chants of “Let’s go, Eagles!” at various points during the game.
““[The game’s] been really, really intense. My throat hurts from screaming a lot,” Satchi Thockchom (10) said.
The Eagles will play against Westmont High School tomorrow 5:45 p.m. at Blackford.
Kshithija “KJ” Mulam (12) is the Winged Post Editor-in-Chief. Serving as the Winged Post News Editor in her junior year, Winged Post Photo Editor in...