![“[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 boys volleyball loses close game 2-3 to Lynbrook High
Senior Luke Wu prepares to hit the volleyball during the team’s game yesterday. They lost a close matchup against Lynbrook High 2-3.
March 9, 2016
Varsity boys’ volleyball lost to Lynbrook High School 2-3 yesterday at the Blackford campus to proceed to 1-2 record in their season.
The team won their first two sets 25-19, lost their third set 20-25, and then rebounded with a close 25-23 win. In their fifth and final set, Lynbrook started with a strong lead that the Eagles could not overcome, resulting in a 6-15 loss.
Because it was only their third game of the season, the team and Head Coach Mike Aitken felt that the boys had not yet figured out the best positions and lineup for the team, which inhibited them from taking the win.
“It’s kind of hard when we’re putting different guys in at different times, so getting a rhythm was kind of hard, and we missed a fair amount of serves,” Kurt Schwartz (12) said. “I think that was a big momentum killer for us.”
The boys trained in various ways to prepare for the game, such as playing scrimmages during practice.
“It kind of simulates the final round, which also goes to fifteen. It’s sad that we didn’t bring it out in the end, but I think a lot of practice really helps when you are down in a game situation,” Ray Song (11) said. “It really helps you to keep yourself focused on the next play, like try to bring each point at a time.”
Freshman Charlie Molin (9) said that the team was going to work on their own specific positions and also believed that the boys needed to maintain momentum and chemistry to improve.
“If we all get better at our positions, it will help the team as a whole.That’s just one part of it, but we just need to keep our energy throughout the match,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to when we find our rhythm, so when we get our chemistry basically.”
Senior Luke Wu persevered through a toenail injury throughout the game.
“I had to suck it up, but it hurt doing certain moves, like when I had to do this dive, all of a sudden, it just hurt a ton, and I couldn’t complete it really,” Luke said. “It was a good thing coach let me out after that, because I probably wouldn’t be able to finish if I had to keep doing that.”
Coach Aitken felt that the boys played well but believes that the team will soon be able to overcome the hurdle of playing all five sets as well as winning the game.
“Sometimes like tonight, we were playing darn good, but the outcome didn’t go our way,” he said. “We can be proud of that. But, the bottom the line is to try to be successful out there, and I think it will come. It’s gonna take a while. We’re good; we’re ready.”
The boys will play their next home game against Amador Valley High School on March 11 at 6:45 p.m.
