![“[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)
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![“[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)
Boys volleyball seniors honored in win over King’s Academy
The team huddles during the volleyball match. The boys won senior night 3-0.
May 6, 2016
The varsity boys volleyball team won their senior night home game 3-1 against King’s Academy this evening at the Blackford campus, boosting their record to 10-0 in league and clinching the title of league champions.
The Knights started the match off strong and took the lead with a score of 25-22, but the Eagles immediately rallied back. A kill from Jonathan Schwartz (11) ended the second set with a 25-14 win. In the third and fourth sets, the game was close and the teams were neck and neck, but Eagles proved victorious with scores 25-22 and 25-23, respectively.
“We played pretty well but we had some downsides,” said the Knights’ varsity volleyball team captain Anthony Wang. “We really could’ve improved on serve receive and passing.”
Although the Eagles won, assistant coach Alex Jones still saw areas for improvement.
“If I were to give us a letter grade, I’d say ‘B-,’” he said. “I thought that the extra fan support was great and we hustled a lot more because of all the friends, family and students that came out, but I don’t think we passed as well on serve-receive and I think we had many runs where we gave up three, four, five points in a row.”
Before the game, the coaches honored the two seniors on the team, co-captain Kurt Schwartz and player Luke Wu, as the rest of the team formed a tunnel with their arms for the seniors to run through. Kurt and Luke also received bouquets of flowers and posters made by their families and friends.
“Senior night was great since we had the opportunity to honor a couple of players that have been in the program for a long time and have put in countless hours of hard work,” Jones said. “Both [Luke and Kurt] have meant so much to the program, both have played great for us throughout the season. They’re really great leaders, and I’m super proud of what they’ve been able to contribute to the program.”
Aside from the leadership and positive influence that Kurt and Luke provided, the rest of team will also miss the fond memories they had with their seniors.
“[My favorite moment is] every time Luke goes for a pancake just for style points,” freshman Chris Gong said. “It’s always fun because he knows he can get it up, but he just goes for a pancake because it’s just extra style.”
After several years of volleyball, both seniors felt that they would miss many aspects of their playing experience at Harker.
“I’m really happy that a lot of my friends got to come out and support us, but I’ll really miss the teamwork and especially the bonding with my other teammates,” Luke said. “Volleyball’s such a teamwork-centered sport, so it’s been a truly great experience.”
They also credit much of their success to the support they received from family, friends, teachers and classmates along the way.
“I definitely appreciate my parents since they’re the ones who’ve always got my back and they’re my number one fans,” Kurt said. “My parents have pretty much been to almost every single game of mine. My whole family comes out, and they’re honestly my favorites.”
The team’s next game will be CCS playoffs on Tuesday against a to be determined team.
