![“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)
The varsity girls volleyball team upset Pinewood 25-15, 25-12, 25-6 in a home game victory on Sept. 12.
Pinewood opened with the first serve, and Harker won it as they started the game off strong with a six-point streak. The Eagles’ lead started to slip as the game advanced to 7-6, but outside hitter Navya Samuel (11) stepped up with a decisive spike, earning praise from her teammates who chanted “who let the dogs out” loudly from the sidelines. Trailing 23-15 at the end of the first set, Pinewood called a timeout. The Eagles maintained their momentum upon retaking the court, and immediately earned the first set with two consecutive aces from Navya.
Harker entered the second set energetically, with outside hitters Divya Bhupathi (9) and Elie Ahluwalia (10) earning numerous kills to bring the team to 20-14. The Eagles won the last five points in quick succession, which culminated in a tense rally that kept coaches and spectators on the edges of their seats.
“It was very much a blowout game, and I think varsity came out very strong,” spectator Minal Jalil (10) said after the game. “They didn’t play down to the level of Pinewood. I think it was a very entertaining game, too, because we saw a lot of kills [and] because Harker didn’t back down.”
Harker continued their run with a streak of three aces in six serves from co-captain and right side Margaret Cartee (12). Opposite hitter Nat Tan (10) finished the game off by executing a conclusive spike, to deliver Harker the landslide win 25-6.
Coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith commended the team’s ability to maintain their standards no matter their opponents.
“It was a relatively non-challenging match for us,” Coach Smitty said. “But those are sometimes the more difficult matches to play, because you tend to play down to the level of your competition and end up making it a game. We did a little bit of that in game two, but by game three, we just got it done.”
While the Eagles entered the game knowing that the Panthers are historically one of the lower-ranked teams in their league, their success came from their ability to maintain a diligent mindset, not allowing expectations of a straightforward win to affect their plays.
“I think the biggest takeaway from today’s game is that we can’t get cocky,” Nat said. “We have to trust our ability to do well but also remind ourselves that our skill is finite. We are of course not the best team, but we can definitely do very well together.”
The team looked forward to the mixed tournament on Sept. 13 and Sept. 14. The junior varsity and varsity girls volleyball teams were randomly mixed to create new teams, and players dressed up in costumes inspired by this year’s theme of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour for a team bonding event.
The team currently has a 2-0 league record and plays against Castilleja next at home on Tuesday at 6:30 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)
