![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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 wins big in first postseason appearance since 2015
![Anya Gert (11) hits the ball over the net. “[CCS] is nerve-wracking, so I know [the team] was nervous and had the jitters,” Smith said. “We came in early and actually warmed up early so we could get some of that stuff out. I was a little worried about where [the team] would be mentally, but I think we handled ourselves pretty well.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Screen-Shot-2018-10-30-at-9.34.38-PM.jpg)
Anya Gert (11) hits the ball over the net. “[CCS] is nerve-wracking, so I know [the team] was nervous and had the jitters,” Smith said. “We came in early and actually warmed up early so we could get some of that stuff out. I was a little worried about where [the team] would be mentally, but I think we handled ourselves pretty well.”
October 30, 2018
In their first postseason appearance since 2015, the varsity girls volleyball team won a blowout 25-13, 25-17, 25-12 victory over the Marina High Mariners at home Saturday, advancing to the Central Coast Section (CCS) quarterfinals and bringing their overall record to 15-11.
After drawing the fourth seed in the CCS tournament, the Eagles secured the chance to host the 16-8 Mariners in the Zhang Athletic Center. The athletic department sponsored entry fees for faculty and students who checked in at the door.
Harker controlled the first set from beginning to end, establishing a solid lead early in the game. Despite some signs of resistance from the Mariners, the Eagles went on a 7-1 rampage that brought the score to an insurmountable 18-8. They finally closed out the set at 25-13, thanks to a few excellent blocks from the Eagles.
The second set started off much more closely, with the Eagles and Mariners trading leads until the score was tied at nine points each. Harker then heated up and, with adept serving and hitting from Michelle Ning (10), developed a small advantage that they gradually expanded as they took the set 25-17.
The third and final set began with a fierce 8-1 run by the Eagles, forcing the Marina coaches to call a timeout. The Marina comeback proved too little, too late, however, as Harker took the third set 25-12 and won the match three sets to none. The Eagles’ substantive lead in the third set also allowed all sixteen girls to play, providing them with valuable on-court CCS experience.
“We had the opportunity to get everybody on the floor so that everybody could be a part of [the game],” volleyball head coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith said. “That is usually the best chemistry, when everyone is contributing to the success of the team, so that was the best thing about today.”
The girls had not qualified for a CCS post-season match since 2015, so this was the first playoff game for most of the team.
“[CCS] is nerve-wracking, so I know [the team] was nervous and had the jitters,” Smith said. “We came in early and actually warmed up early so we could get some of that stuff out. I was a little worried about where [the team] would be mentally, but I think we handled ourselves pretty well.”
Although Harker won a dominant victory, the team will continue to try to improve throughout the postseason.
“I think we played decently well, enough to win, but we definitely could have played better and definitely need to step up our game for future CCS games where teams are getting eliminated so the competitions getting a lot harder,” Emily Cheng (11), a setter on the team, said. “Overall, I’m still really proud of our team and how we competed.”
The Eagles also won their quarterfinal matchup against Mercy-Burlingame 25-15, 25-18, 25-14 tonight. Thy will play Santa Cruz, who upset first seed Carmel in the quarterfinals, at Menlo on Thursday for a spot in the finals.
