![“[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 girls volleyball defeated Castilleja 25-12, 25-19 and 25-21 in straight sets on Sept. 19 in the Zhang Gym.
Harker began with a lead of 5-1. After a tie at 5-5 from a comeback by Castilleja, outside hitter Navya Samuel (11) earned multiple points from serves and aces, giving Harker a large lead. Outside hitter Divya Bhupathi (9) widened the team’s lead with two kills, and a swing from opposite hitter Nat Tan (10) ended the set 25-12.
After starting down five points at the beginning of the second set, the Eagles gained momentum, tying the score from an ace and a dump by setter Keira Chang (10). Harker regained their lead after two kills by Navya and a serving run by libero Norah Mehanna (11). Co-captain and middle blocker Juhi Madala (12) furthered the Eagles’ lead with an assertive spike to win the set 25-19.
“We were able to take advantage of our morale shift,” Keira said. “And I also think that our serving was really strong today. The other team would get down on themselves a lot. So we had to take advantage of that and go after the weaker passers. And our serving was really consistent. We were hitting a lot of aggressive balls and I think that really paid off.”
The third set remained close with neither team leading by more than one point until the end of the set. When it was 22-21, Harker pulled away with two tips by outside hitter Elie Ahluwalia (10) and an ace from Divya, finishing the third set 25-21.
“Our energy overtook them and our serve receive just got them out of rhythm and we played our best volleyball,” Norah said. “Our middles and our outsides, especially our baby freshman, Divya, did a great job.”
Throughout the game, the Eagles stayed consistent which helped them beat Castilleja. Varsity girls volleyball head coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith spoke about the girls’ performance and how well they implemented the game plan.
“First of all, the serving was amazing,” Coach Smitty said.“The game of volleyball is about momentum swings. And even though if you won game one [and] you feel good about yourself, a game can go sideways real quick. Next thing you know, it’s tight, and then anxiety creeps back in. So we started to lose a little bit in game two, [and] were able to come back and hold them.”
Varsity girls volleyball will play against Eastside College Prep in a home game on Tuesday.
