![“[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)
Junior varsity girls volleyball team falls to Notre Dame-Belmont
The junior varsity girls volleyball team huddles up between sets during the team’s match against Notre-Dame Belmont today. The girls lost 16-25, 16-25.
September 21, 2021
The junior varsity girls volleyball team fell to Notre Dame-Belmont today 16-25, 16-25.
The team called a timeout in the first set when the score was 6-12. They scored three consecutive points towards the end of the set, boosting the score from 12-21 to 15-21.
According to team co-captain and libero Gwen Yang (11), the game went well. Her favorite play from the game was her one-hand over that resulted in a kill.
“We need a little bit more energy, but other than that, we’re improving every day, so that’s nice to see,” Gwen said. “It’d be great to win, but other than that, as long as we have a lot of energy and we’re satisfied with how we played ourselves, that would probably be my goal.”
Team member Sophia Zhu (9), who plays defense specialist, also noted the need for more energy as well as communication on the court.
“I feel like our whole team maybe has to improve on calling the ball so that we communicate more, and we know who’s going for the ball and who’s not,” Sophia said.
The team fought hard in the second set, tying the score at 3-3 and 6-6 before Notre Dame-Belmont took the lead and won the set.
“I think [the game] went pretty well,” Coach Jonathan Schwartz said. “We’re starting to play some tougher teams, and our team is really stepping up to the challenges.”
The team will face Menlo in an away game at 5:15 p.m. on Friday.
