![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
On Thursday, September 13, the Varsity girls’ volleyball team beat Saratoga High School in a four-set match at the Blackford gym.
The team started off strong, winning the first set with a score of 25-9. Despite a push from Saratoga, the Eagles stayed in control and won the second set 25-21. In the third set, missed serves and a few other errors, along with a strong comeback effort by the opposing team, led to a 24-26 loss and a forced fourth set. Despite the setback, the girls stayed tough and finished off the game with a 25-14 win.
“I thought we played pretty well. We came out great, and we held them to nine points in game one which was good,” Head Coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith said. “[We] were able to get everyone into play, which was great. [I] wasn’t so happy with game three, […] but I was really happy with the way they came back in game four.”
Offence was a key factor in this victory. Divya Kalidindi (11) and co-captain Shreya Dixit (10) led the team with 11 kills each, followed by Shannon Richardson (9) with 10. Divya also had the most service aces with seven, and Shreya had four solo blocks. Additionally, Doreene Kang (9) excelled at the net with three solo blocks and four assist blocks.
“I thought our offence was pretty good,” Shreya said. “Everyone did a really good job hitting today. [We] played the ball really well.”
Only four games into the season, the team has much more ahead of them and a lot of time to continue to improve their game, according to Smith.
“I want us to grow. […] The team is super young, so we want to just keep improving and working on the process instead of just trying to win games,” Smith said. “[We’re] trying to get better every day.”
Both teams play again at home on Tuesday, September 18 against Immaculate Conception Academy in their first league game of the season. JV plays at 4:30 p.m., followed by Varsity at 5:45 p.m.
