![“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)
Boys volleyball clutches win over Northgate, advances in NorCals
The boys team huddles up ahead of their NorCal quarterfinal game against Carmel, which they won 25-20, 26-24, 25-13.
May 14, 2019
After a close three sets, the varsity boys volleyball team defeated Northgate High School 25-20, 26-24, 25-13 in the first round of Division 1 NorCal Championships on Tuesday, qualifying to play in the semifinals on Thursday.
Head coach Chad Gordon credited the team’s consistency as one of the factors that culminated in a win.
“We stayed within ourselves, and we played the way that we wanted to play,” Gordon said. “We were certainly more successful, and I thought we stayed steady as the match went on: we served and passed really well, and I thought we did a good job.”
The first set began with neither team taking a clear lead, the score evenly matched until it reached 9-9, when Liam Bakar (11) spiked the ball, giving the Eagles a one-point lead. An impressive block by Jarrett Anderson (12) and Vance Hirota (11) improved the Eagles’ score to 15-12, and they were able to stay ahead until the end of the set, which they won 25-20.
However, Northgate was able to make a comeback in the second set, taking the lead early on and maintaining it, before a powerful hit from Jeffrey Kwan (11) finally brought the score to 16-15 in Harker’s favor. After going back and forth in several plays, the boys earned two more points after the game was tied at 24-24, ensuring their second win with a score of 26-24.
Co-captain Charlie Molin (12) acknowledged the difficulties in the second set compared to the first, but added that the team was able to overcome these challenges going into their final set.
“We had some miscommunication in the second set,” Charlie said. “We didn’t have our full effort on defense so I think that let [our opponents] come back a little bit, but in the end, we just came together as a team and won together.”
Recovering from the previous set, the Eagles were able to build up a large lead over Northgate throughout the last game. With the team repeatedly hitting powerful kills, earning multiple aces and making successful blocks, they were in control during the set, and a final hit by Jeffrey marked a 25-13 victory.
Currently boasting an overall record of 33-5, the win today is one of many accomplishments in the boys’ historic season: the team is also ranked fifth in the nation and in the state, according to the most recent update on MaxPreps, and recently won the Division 3 Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships last weekend.
Assistant coach Alexander Jones expressed his pride in the team’s achievements this season and the hard work they continue to put in during playoffs.
“We had an idea that we might be successful this year, but there have been a ton of ups and downs, and I’m just really proud of the kids,” Jones said. “Hopefully we can cap [the season] off with a couple more good matches. If we can go out and we can keep playing well, we’ll be really happy with this season, no matter what happens results-wise.”
The team now prepares to host Bellarmine College Prep in the Athletic Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the semifinals match, which will determine the teams competing in NorCal finals on Saturday.
“After winning CCS finals, we’re all super hyped up,” Liam added. “We’re ready to take it as far as we can in NorCals: we’re hoping to win the second round and make it to finals.”
