![“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)
Junior varsity girls volleyball team loses to Menlo School
Gwen Yang (11) prepares to receive a serve. The junior varsity girls volleyball team will face Notre Dame this Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. for the last match of their season.
October 24, 2021
The junior varsity girls volleyball team lost to Menlo School at home this Tuesday 15-25, 9-25.
The Eagles started the first set strong with a 4-1 lead but progressively fell behind and ended the set with 10 points less than Menlo. In the second set, the Eagles once again scored the first point, but Menlo soon caught up and ultimately secured the victory.
Coach Jonathan Schwartz noted how the players dominated the beginning of the match and demonstrated growth throughout the game despite the loss.
“It started off really well,” Schwartz said. “We had a ton of perfect passes, and looking back, they’ve all improved tremendously with their passing.”
Team member Alice Tao (10) agreed that the team has made great progress since the start of the season.
“With these very competitive teams, it comes down to stuff like mistakes and hitters,” Alice said. “That’s something that we have to work on, but in the end, I do feel like we’re getting better [as a team].”
Despite the defeat, the Eagles still had fun and cheered each other on throughout the game.
“We had fun,” team member Ava Arasan (11) said. “We are motivated to get the win next time. We’re here to push it forward and keep improving.”
Schwartz believes that team practices will play a crucial role in the team’s improvement as they look to secure victories in their next matches.
“We’re gonna keep working on serving and passing just because no matter what level, that’s going to be tremendously important,” Schwartz said. “And we’re going to keep working on attacking and getting our offense running.”
The team defeated Mercy High School at home on Friday 25-23, 12-25, 15-10. They will face Notre Dame High School this Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. for the last match of their season.
