![“[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 wins four consecutive league matches
Provided by Teresa Cheng
Lindsey Trinh (11) prepares to spike the ball during a varsity girls volleyball game.
The varsity girls’ volleyball team placed second at the Tiger Varsity Cup Volleyball Tournament last Saturday.
They defeated last year’s state runner-up Pitman in the game leading up to the tournament. The team lost to the host school in the final match. The offensive players Jackie Chen, Shannon Richardson and Doreene Kang led the team to victory.
“We just practiced hard every day,” Jackie Chen (12) said. “I thought we did really well actually. We got the same place that we did last year. The teams that we beat leading up to second place were a lot harder; one of them was a CCS Semifinalist. Each team that we played was different, and we adapted well.”
Upper school athletics director Dan Molin commented on the varsity volleyball team regarding their success.
“Being a volleyball coach myself, I see a strong sense of team chemistry,” Dan Molin said. “I see that the girls get along really really well. I don’t see any egos getting in the way of their success, and they are all about team and nothing about individual. That is probably the major reason why I think they are doing so well this season.”
The varsity volleyball team currently holds a record of 4-0 in the league prior to the home game with Mercy High School – Burlingame. The junior varsity volleyball team currently is currently on a losing streak with a record of 2-8. They too will face Mercy Burlingame this Thursday for a possible recovery.
“We were able to beat teams that were much taller than us and looked a lot more intimidating than us,” Melissa Kwan (10). “I think we’ve gotten a lot better this year at being mentally tough and winning close games because that’s one thing we struggled with at the beginning.”
The team had the same rank, in the Notre Dame Belmont 2014 Tiger Cup Varsity Volleyball Tournament as they had this year. The next game for the varsity volleyball will be on Oct. 20 against Sacred Heart Preparatory School.
Senior Doreene Kang prepares to spike the ball as the opposing team player tries to defend her during a varsity volleyball game.
Vijay Bharadwaj (11) is one of the opinion editors for The Winged Post and Aquila. She served as the assistant opinion editor and the Wingspan copy editor...
Maya Kumar (11) is the Features Editor for the Winged Post. This is her third year in Journalism and her favorite part is collaborating with fellow journalism...