![“[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)
JV and varsity boys volleyball scrimmage Bellarmine
Members of the boys varsity volleyball team come together after a point. Bellarmine was the first team the boys played this season
February 22, 2018
JV and varsity boys volleyball participated in a scrimmage against Bellarmine in the Blackford gym on Wednesday 6 p.m. Because this game was a scrimmage, the two teams did not keep score.
The players from both sides first practiced amongst their own teams before they all gathered around the center court at 5:40. After the coaches talked to the players briefly, they assigned players to two separate courts where they participated in warm-ups and drills together. At 6 p.m., the scrimmages officially began with the JV team playing on one court and the varsity team playing on the opposite end.
“Our squad is relatively young compared to previous seasons, and I think the team’s goal was to simulate a game and its conditions for the first-year varsity players that make up almost half of the team,” senior varsity player Michael Kwan said. “In terms of personal goals, I wanted to make sure that my knew how to play my role on the team, and be ready to fill in the gaps wherever needed.”
During the scrimmage, the teams prioritized focusing on their teamwork and execution of plays, and score was not kept. In addition, the coaches rotated players in and out constantly to try different lineups.
“It felt really good, it was the first time we played the team this season, it was a really good test to our practicing so far because [Bellarmine] is a really good team,” Charlie Molin (11) said. “We actually played pretty well against them and overall it was a very good experience.”
The volleyball team will play their first official match against Cupertino High School away on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. for the JV team and at 6:45 p.m. for the varsity team.
“This match was a way to size up the competition for the rest of the season,” Michael said. “We were able to implement the facets of the system and I believe that we are on the right path to start the season off with a bang.”
