![“[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 team falls to Menlo in four sets
Juhi Madala (10) jumps to hit the ball. The varsity girls volleyball team will take on Mercy High School today at 5:30 p.m. for Senior Night.
October 22, 2021
The varsity girls volleyball team fell to Menlo on Tuesday at home 14-25, 18-25, 25-22, 9-25.
Harker fell behind early in the first set and lost by fourteen points after calling a timeout towards the end of the set. The second set was much closer, with Menlo ultimately winning by a margin of seven points. The Eagles trailed early in the third set but took the lead at 16-15 after player Rachel Ning (11) scored a point. Capitalizing on their momentum, the Eagles took the set 25-22.
Team captain and libero Tara Ozdemir (12) expressed her pride in her team’s third set victory.
“[Menlo] is one of the top four teams in the state right now for volleyball, so definitely taking a set out of them [was a highlight]. There were a lot of good plays that happened, too, which we’ve been working on,” Tara said.
Player Norah Mehanna (9) also noted the team’s cohesiveness and effort during the third set, a large factor in their performance throughout the game.
““I think that the third set was the highlight of the game because we all worked together as a team. We definitely pushed and fought [during] the entire game,” Norah said.
Harker initially trailed 3-8 in the fourth set. The Eagle’s efforts brought them up to a score of 7-20, but they ultimately lost 9-25, ending the match. Despite their loss, team members were satisfied with their performance. Tara commended the team’s improvement from previous games.
“Our communication was good overall, and our serving was consistent throughout the entire game, which is something that we’ve struggled with in the past,” Tara said.
The team currently holds a record of 5-17 after falling to Mercy High School in their Senior Night matchup today at 5:30 p.m.
