![“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)
Girls tennis team defeats Menlo, snapping 24-year-long win streak in league play
Anushka Mehrotra (10) swings at a ball during the team’s CCS semifinals’ matchup against St. Francis last school year. Girls tennis resumed three weeks ago, and since then, the team has racked up three victories, against Monta Vista, Sacred Heart, and now, Menlo.
March 13, 2021
The varsity girls tennis team defeated Menlo 4-3 yesterday in the first game of their season, snapping Menlo’s record-setting 24-year, 266-match-long win streak in league play. The Eagles were represented by freshmen Natasha Rajaram, Rachel Hernandez, Sofie Hernandez and Emma Gao, sophomores Emily Novikov, Sara Wan and Anushka Mehrotra, junior Anishka Raina, and seniors Fonda Hu and Sachi Bajaj.
“Menlo’s been the best team in our league for so many years now, and each year they’re the toughest school that we play. Heading into this match, we knew that it would be tough, but this year we have some really great players that joined our team, so we knew we had a chance,” said co-captain Santoshi Tirumula (12), who did not play in the match due to an injury. “We had that mindset of not going in expecting anything, but just bringing our game and playing to the best of our abilities.”
The match began at 4 p.m. and was held at the Blackford campus tennis courts. The team played four singles matches and three doubles matches. The singles players were not required to wear masks, but those playing doubles were, due to their close proximity to one another.
Santoshi, who attended the match to cheer on her teammates, believed their unrelenting spirit played a key role in their victory.
“I was walking around cheering the team on, and you could still feel that same energy and spirit, in spite of COVID, and it being hard to communicate. The spirit of our team is really unparalleled and our strongest characteristic, and I think that’s what pulled us through,” Santoshi said.
Anishka, who played doubles with Emma, appreciates being able to compete alongside her teammates again, something she has not been able to do since fall of last school year due to COVID-19.
“It was really nice to be surrounded by my teammates again and to be able to play with them,” she said. “Our team has already bonded so well during our short season and competing with them is always a positive experience.”
This victory concludes a successful week for the team, who defeated Monta Vista 4 – 3 on Monday and Sacred Heart 7 – 0 on Tuesday. The girls will face Crystal Springs next, at home at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
