![“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)
Live updates: Girls volleyball teams host Dig Pink fundraiser
Vidya Jeyendran (11) passes during the second set of the junior varsity match.
October 10, 2019
The upper school girls volleyball teams are hosting their “Dig Pink” breast cancer fundraiser in the Athletic Center during their matches against Mercy High School Burlingame. Money raised during the event will go towards Stage IV breast cancer research conducted by the Side-Out Foundation, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness and advancing cancer treatment through volleyball-sponsored clinical trials.
Varsity
8:25 p.m. Harker takes the the third set 25 – 17 and the match 3 – 0 with a block from Dylan.
8:23 p.m. Mercy put together a small scoring run, but the Eagles managed bring the match back under control with a kill from Ashley. It is now match point, with the Eagles leading 24 – 17.
8:20 p.m. A series of kills from Lauren and Anya put the Eagles up 21 – 10.
8:17 p.m. A back-row swing from Emma puts the Eagles up 16 – 10.
8:13 p.m. The Eagles have begun to pull away and now lead 12 – 7, following some blocks from Lauren and Michelle and tough serving by Tara, forcing Mercy to call a timeout.
8:10 p.m. Both teams are exchanging points early in the third set, with the Eagles up 6 – 5.
8:03 p.m. The Eagles take the second set 28 – 26 after a kill from Ashley and an error from Mercy.
8:02 p.m. The teams trade points and the score is now 26 – 26.
7:59 p.m. Harker ties the score up with two huge kills from Anya. Mercy calls a timeout.
7:56 p.m. A big block and kill from Mercy puts the Crusaders up 24 – 22. Harker calls a timeout.
7:55 p.m. Harker ends Mercy High School’s 5 point service run with a kill from Ashley. They are now leading 21 – 19.
7:50 p.m. The two teams continue to compete hard and trade points, with Harker currently leading 18 – 14 following a kill from Lauren and an error from Mercy High School in the second set.
7:42 p.m. Harker’s momentum from the first set continues, and the Eagles currently leads 11 – 6 in the second set.
7:33 p.m. The Eagles take the first set 25 – 11 following a big kill out of the middle by Dylan Williams (11) and a block by Michelle on the right side.
7:29 p.m. Mercy has to call a timeout as the Eagles go on a 4 point run, with kills and blocks coming from Michelle and Lauren. The score is now 18 – 6.
7:25 p.m. Harker continue to serve tough and play a strong brand of defense, now leading 14 – 6 after a series of kills from Ashley Jazbec (12).
7:21 p.m. The Eagles are off to a quick start and are and are currently up 9 – 2.
7:17 p.m. Harker will serve first in the first set. The lineup on the floor for the Eagles currently includes sophomore Tara Ozdemir, juniors Emma Dione and Michelle Ning, and seniors Lauren Beede, Anya Gert, and Emily Cheng.
7:15 p.m. Harker head coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith introduced the Dig Pink event prior to the start of the varsity girls volleyball teams game against Mercy High School – Burlingame.
“Often times thoughts and prayers are ample but actions speak really loud. So today, this is our action to make a difference in the world,” Smith said.
Junior Varsity
The girls junior varsity team’s against Mercy High School – Burlingame lost 18-25, 25-20, 18-16 in the second match of the Dig Pink Fundraiser currently happening in the athletic center.
Although the girls were initially trailed in the beginning of the first set, they were able to even the score 11-11 before taking the lead and maintaining that momentum throughout the rest of the game to ultimately win 25-18.
The second set remained close throughout until the Mercy Crusaders managed to pull away in the last 5 points of the match to win 25-20.
The crowd has continued to grow throughout the evening, with about 150 people currently in attendance.
“I’m here because I want to support the research and awareness for breast cancer research. I think what the Harker volleyball program is doing is great and brings up an important issue to our school,” Zoe Sanders (11), a member of the crowd, said.
In the third set, the girls picked up some momentum with an ace serve and kill by Harker and an error by Mercy Burlingame and went up 7 to 3 at the beginning.
The Mercy Game Crusaders have came back after their five-point deficit, and Harker has called a timeout. The crowd is getting more and more involved as the game gets deeper into the third set, stomping and chanting “Let’s go Eagles! Let’s go Eagles!”
Building on their momentum, the Eagles then went up 14 – 11 after a kill out of the middle by Shreya Srinivasan (11), forcing Mercy to call a timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, the Crusaders won four consecutive points and took the lead at 15-14, as the Eagles called a timeout.
The Eagles and Crusaders then traded points until a missed hit ultimately allowed the Crusaders to take the set 18-16 and win the match.
“We had so many powerful moments [this game]. I think we just fell short a little bit in the end because we lost touch of our communication. But even when we lose, we just shake it off and go play harder the next game,” junior varsity player Lisa Shchegrov (10) said.
The varsity girls will begin playing at 7:15 p.m.
Freshman
The freshman volleyball team won 25-17, 25-23 against Mercy High School – Burlingame in the first match held during the Dig Pink fundraiser to raise money for breast cancer research in the athletic center today.
Volleyball team members are selling lanyards, bracelets, cookies, brownies and macaroons outside the athletic center during the games to raise funds, and all audience members are charged $5 for entry.
“Playing for a special cause really makes volleyball so much more meaningful and it makes the whole experience so much better” freshman player Jessica Tang (9) after the match.
Money raised during the event will go towards Stage IV breast cancer research conducted by the Side-Out Foundation, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness and advancing cancer treatment through volleyball-sponsored clinical trials.
The junior varsity girls will begin their match at 5:30 p.m, and varsity plays at 6:30 p.m.
