![“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)
Varsity boys volleyball decimates Menlo-Atherton in three straight sets
The varsity boys volleyball team gathers for a huddle and a chant before the game against Menlo-Atherton on Tuesday. The team won in three sets, 25-13, 25-14, 25-20.
March 13, 2023
The varsity boys volleyball team crushed Menlo-Atherton High School in three sets 25-13, 25-14, 25-20 at home on Tuesday.
After a pre-game chant, the home opener game for the varsity boys volleyball team began. Spencer Mak (11) scored the Eagles’ first point, notching his first kill and bringing the score to 1-1. As the game progressed, the Bears missed a series of swings and called a timeout when trailing 9-3. Adrian Liu (11) kept up a streak of strong jump float serves. Harker continued to dominate through the end of the set with only a small amount of difficulty due to Menlo-Atherton’s serves, and Zachary Blue (11) scored the last point for Harker with a kill, closing the set at 25-13.
“I think we were able to try out and experiment [with] a lot of things that we tried at first in practice but [had yet] to implement in the game,” opposite hitter Johnny Kuehnis (12) said. “This [game] was good, but it also had a level that allowed us the leeway to really stretch ourselves and try new things.”
The second set began with the Eagles taking the lead, pulling forwards to 3-0. After Harker furthered their lead with multiple kills and float serves by Johnny, Menlo-Atherton called another timeout at 14-8. Harker continued to lead 16-9, and Kyle Johnson (11) sealed the match 25-14 with two kills and two aces.
To start off the third set, the Eagles and the Bears sparred through formidable blocks from both sides, but Harker slowly gained a lead at 11-4 with a cut shot kill by Zachary and two more aces from Kyle. However, Menlo-Atherton caught up to 18-18 through long rallies, difficult serves and some missed hits from Harker. In the end, Harker pushed to the front with three kills in a row from Edis Mesic (11), finishing the set 25-20 and adding another win to their record.
“The last couple years we were a really young team and now we’re upperclassmen, and it’s really nice to see all of us grow and work together,” Edis said. “This year and next year [is] our time to shine, so I’m really looking forward to that. We have so much more to still improve throughout the rest of the season, and I’m just enthusiastic to see where that can lead us.”
The varsity boys volleyball team now stands at an overall record of 5-3, and they next play Cupertino in an away game on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.
