Ashley Mo

Judi Abdelrazik (10) squats down in a defensive stance, ready to receive an incoming serve. At the libero position, Judi plays in the back row and helps control possession of the ball.

The frosh and sophomore girls volleyball team lost to Scotts Valley High School 25-23, 16-25, 11-15 in their first home game on Thursday in the Zhang Gymnasium at 4 p.m.

The Scotts Valley Falcons scored the first point of the game with a tip, but the teams competed closely in the next several plays. After successive aces by the opposing team, the Harker Eagles called a timeout, trailing 4-8. Libero Judi Abdelrazik (10), setter Maddie Avila (9) and outside hitter Tanisha Vaish (9) bridged the gap, tying the score at 13-13. After competing neck and neck for several minutes, Harker emerged in the lead at 22-21. From there, Harker maintained their momentum and won the first set 25-23, ending on Judi’s free ball kill. 

“[The game] actually went really well,” outside hitter Aanya Sharma (9) said. “We won the first set, but we need to work on communication. We have a really good bond, and we just need to practice more. Then we’ll get better.”

Harker entered the second set with a few unsuccessful serves but soon bounced back with Judi’s digs, outside hitter Ava Zarkesh’s (9) serves and Aanya’s swings tying the score back to 8-8. The Falcons then gained momentum with a series of rallies and freeball kills, placing the score at 15-23. Setter Ronica Khattri (9) scored an ace, but the Falcons quickly regained control of the ball after the Eagles missed several swings. After one final ace, Scotts Valley emerged victorious 16-25 at the end of the set.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Margaret Cartee

Head Coach Andrei Hinda discusses strategy with the team during a timeout in the second set of the game against Scotts Valley on Thursday. This match marked the frosh and sophomore team's home opener game.

Scotts Valley opened the third set, and the teams rallied back and forth until the score read 6-7, with the Falcons scoring four kills and the Eagles scoring three. Scotts Valley then won two long rallies, resulting in a loss of momentum on the Harker’s side. After a tough serving run by Scotts Valley, Harker called a timeout at 7-11. The Eagles quickly earned a kill but called another timeout at 8-13 following an ace from Scotts Valley. Towards the end of the set, outside hitter Aanya served two aces in a row, pushing the score to 11-14, but the Falcons closed the match at 11-15 with a kill. Head Coach Andrei Hinda noted how much the team has improved since the season started. 

“We played defense really well, but we were struggling a little bit with offense,” Coach Hinda said. “We have to understand that it’s a learning process, and I think there’s already progress from the first game. That was the first thing that I told the team: I’m proud of you.”

Despite the loss, Ronica commented on the team’s mindset going into the final moments of the game.

“As a team, we tried not to be afraid even if it was a really close game,” Ronica said. “In the future, we should always put our best effort and never play it safe.”

The frosh and sophomore girls volleyball team plays Milpitas High School next on Thursday in the Zhang Gymnasium at 4 p.m.