![“[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 defeats Los Gatos in four sets
Jonathan Schwartz (12) jump serves the ball. Jonathan played the positions of setter and opposite, or right-side, hitter.
March 19, 2017
Varsity boys’ volleyball defeated Los Gatos High School in 4 sets on Friday at the Blackford gym, bringing them to an overall of 7-2 record.
Los Gatos began serving during the first set, earning a 5 point lead. Harker eventually brought the game to a tie before winning the set on an ace serve 25-23.
“We played pretty well the first game,” Charlie Molin (10) said. “We started off a little slow, and then I think we just didn’t keep playing as hard as we could, and that’s why they were able to beat us in the second game, but I think we really came together as a team and were able to finish it the next couple of games.”
The Los Gatos Wildcats came back to win the second set 25-22.
During the third set, the coaches switched Jeffrey Kwan (9) from libero to outside hitter and Chris Gong (10) from outside hitter to libero. In volleyball, the libero plays defense in the back row for both middle blockers. Harker kept a steady two-point lead during this set from 2-0 to 20-18 before pulling ahead and winning the set 25-19.
The fourth set had close scores throughout, from 7-7 to 13-13. Harker slowly began earning a lead. The last points went back and forth between the two teams. Andrew Gu (12) got a cross-court kill, bringing the team to match point. The next point, Ray Song (12) blocked the opposing team, and the Eagles won the game 25-21.
“I think it was definitely a great team effort,” Jimmy Lin (11) said. “While we got to a bit of a rough start in the beginning, we definitely found a rhythm toward the latter sets, and that helped us pull through to get the win.”
The team’s next game is on Wednesday, Mar. 22 at Homestead High School.
