![“[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 loses to Menlo in four sets
Anya Gert (10) hits the ball from the back row. Anya is one of three sophomores on the varsity team.
October 6, 2017
The varsity girls’ volleyball team lost against the Menlo School Knights after four sets at the upper school gym last night. The set that Harker won is the first set that Menlo has lost in their league season.
“So far, the season has been really exciting, with a lot of close games,” libero Katrina Liou (11) said before the game. “The game is about more than one person and we have to play as a team and one unit to not worry about the past point, but to focus on the now and on our next play.”
The four scores of the sets were 25-13, 25-16, 30-28 and 25-10, with Harker winning the third set. Emily Cheng (10) was the first server of the game. The first timeout was called by head coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith when Menlo was leading 2-4, and another timeout was called when Menlo was in the lead 13-6. Tiffany Shou (12) served three times consecutively early in the game to raise the score to 14-9.
“We want to focus on getting touches on blocks—slowing down so we can get an easier touch,” said Coach Smitty pre-game.
In the second set, the Eagles took a one point lead initially, but was down 1-6 soon after. Harker’s first timeout of the set was called when the team was down 13-4. After Menlo won another point, Anya Gert (10) served four times consecutively until the team lost a rally at 15-8. Co-captain Lauren Napier (12) scored one kill in this set and in an intense rally, attempted two kills and then succeeded with a tip over.
Senior Melissa Kwan was the starting server for the third set of the game, which early on began with a two-point deficit for Harker until co-captain Isabella Spradlin (12) scored with a kill, making the score 1-2. Isabella later served five times, which boosted Harker to a lead of 8-5. After another kill later in the set by Isabella, she served three more times, which again led Harker with a score of 20-17. Harker called their fourth timeout when the score was 25-24, with Menlo in the lead. After a long period of back-and-forth rallies, with neither team gaining more than a one-point lead, Harker won the third set with a score of 30-28.
“We were our most impressive; we served the best in that game, we played the best defense, we were hitting aggressively, so I’m proud of them for putting that effort in,” Coach Smitty said.
The varsity team huddles and discusses strategy before the fourth set. The third set of today’s match was the first Menlo has lost so far in their league season this year.
The fourth and final set began with Menlo serving, and the Eagles held an early two-point lead. Coach Smitty called a timeout when Menlo was leading 9-4, and the last timeout was called when Harker was down 7-18. The Eagles lost this match with a score of 25-10.
“We did a really good job just staying in the game and playing point by point, and I think what could’ve helped us is if we played like that from the very beginning of the game,” Isabella said.
Co-captain Isabella Spradlin scored eleven kills throughout the game, and co-captain Lauren Napier scored eight.
The team hosts Sacred Heart Prep on Nichols Court on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
