![“[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)
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.
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.
![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)
