![“[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)
Junior varsity girls volleyball loses to Mercy High School
Junior Grace Park anticipates the ball to fall in her hands, as freshman Allison Cartee looks to strike the ball over.
The junior varsity girls’ volleyball team lost their match to Mercy High School at 4:30 p.m. today in the Blackford gym.
Mercy took the lead in the first set with a score of 20-25, but the Eagles fought back and followed with a win in the second set with a score of 25-17. In the third and final set, the two teams were neck and neck with Mercy walking away with a 17-15 win, ending the game with a loss.
Players Nishka Ayyar (9) and Richa Bhattacharya (10) led the team with four service kills and multiple successful passes, respectively.
Xiao Feng, the head coach of the junior varsity team, thought the girls played well and fought for every point on the court.
“The school was a tough team and we worked pretty hard fighting against them today,” Feng said. “First set, we made a couple of mistakes and in the second game, the girls’ kicked off well, back to our normal pace. In the last game, the girls were a bit nervous… but overall, they did a good job.”
Although the Eagles did not win the match, they look forward to upcoming games and practices.
“We’re very spirited and we’re really tight now,” player Katrina Liou (9) said. “At the beginning, we were all very good individual players, but weren’t able to work together as a team. Now, we started being able to bond as full team.”
Richa also discussed developing team camaraderie.
“I feel like as we play as a team, and as we see each other more, and trust each other, we’re coming closer together and it’s really helping us grow,” she said.
The girls will play their next away game at Mercy Burlingame High School on Oct. 15 at 4:30 p.m.
Anjay Saklecha (12) is the Senior Winged Post Copy Editor and Columnist. This is his fourth year on staff. He was the Copy Editor last year and former...