![“[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 team earns major win against Cupertino in three sets
Adrian Liu (11) serves the ball in the match against Cupertino High School on March 29. The team defeated Cupertino in three straight sets 25-23, 25-17, 25-18 at home.
The varsity boys volleyball team defeated Cupertino High School in three straight sets 25-23, 25-17, 25-18 at home on March 29.
Harker started off the set with the serve, garnering an early 3-0 advantage over Cupertino. Harker continued leading by a couple points due to a series of kills and the Pioneers’ string of serving and hitting errors. After kills from Kyle Johnson (11) and Captain Zachary Blue (11), backed by tough float serves from Aaron Guo (10), the Eagles strengthened their lead, causing Cupertino to call a timeout at 17-11. The Pioneers made a late push, bringing the score to 20-18, but Harker’s solid defense sustained them until 24-19. At 24-22, the Eagles called a timeout to regroup, and a kill from Aaron finished the set 25-23.
“They did a good job putting the ball away and passing, hitting, everything,” Assistant Coach Artem Kosikov said. “They all just came together as a team. They were just playing not as individuals, but they were playing together.”
The game stayed back and forth up until 5-4 in the second set, the Eagles and the Pioneers fighting point for point. With a string of two blocks and three kills, Harker began dominating the set, forcing a Cupertino timeout at 10-4. For the remainder of the set, the Eagles retained the lead, with two notable right side kills from Edis Mesic (11) and Spencer Mak (11). Cupertino called a timeout at 22-14 after a serving run from Captain Tyler Beede (12). Harker closed out the set 25-17 on two hitting errors from the Pioneers and a tip kill from Edis.
“In general, we’ve been able to form together as a team recently, and this is the first game that really showed it, because [Cupertino is] a really good team, and we were able to beat them,” Tyler said.
In the beginning of the third set, Cupertino fought back, racking up kills, while Harker started to make more hitting errors. After trailing 7-8, Harker found their footing again and regained momentum, but the Pioneers kept the score even with strong defense and offense. However, Harker pulled forward at the end of the set with a bounce from Zachary at 18-16. Cupertino called a timeout at 20-16 after a missed hit, and Harker ended the match 25-18 with two kills and a block.
“I think everyone really stepped up today,” Aaron said. “I hope we keep stepping up in our positions. Even the serving sub coming in — our serving subs did their job today and that was really great.”
The varsity boys volleyball team currently holds an overall record of 11-8.
Margaret Cartee 12) is a co-managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Margaret wants to do more illustrations...