![“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 was defeated by Crystal Springs Uplands 23-25, 17-25, 22-25 in a home game on Sept. 21.
Harker opened the game with a serve by setter Keira Chang (10) and won the first point of the match, but Crystal Springs soon gained a lead of 5-3. Harker struggled to gain momentum, dropping two additional points to Crystal Springs. The Eagles rebounded with two consecutive kills by outside hitter Navya Samuel (11), improving the score to 5-8. Following a run by Navya and winning kills by co-captain and middle hitter Juhi Madala (12), Keira and outside hitter Divya Bhupathi (9), the Eagles tied the score at 13-13. Both teams continued to exchange points, with multiple kills by Navya, Divya and Juhi. After a serving error by Crystal Springs, the score stood at 23-24. The Eagles missed their serve, and Crystal Springs won the first set.
The Gryphons continued their winning streak in the second set, gaining an 8-2 lead. The Eagles called a timeout and soon improved their score to 10-13 after winning kills by Juhi and multiple saves by libero Norah Mehanna (11). The Eagles failed to surpass the Gryphons and called another timeout at 13-19. Harker continued to lose points to Crystal Springs Uplands, trailing 14-24. With one point away from the end of the set, the Eagles rebounded with three consecutive points to place the score at 17-24, but ultimately lost to the Gryphons in the second set with the score settled at 17-25.
Divya reflected on the team’s strengths and weaknesses that she observed during the game.
“I think we had some good serves,” Divya said. “A lot of them were really sharp, although [the other team’s] passing was really good, so that’s why they weren’t as effective as they normally are. I think improving on our hitting consistency and improving our communication on scramble balls would be beneficial.”
Harker entered the third and final set with a strong lead of 8-4. The Eagles widened the gap with an ace by Navya bringing the score to 16-8, but the Gryphons gained momentum and tied the score at 20-20 after a series of long rallies. The teams competed neck-to-neck, tying the game again at 22-22, but the Eagles failed to secure the win, losing the set 22-25 to Crystal.
Despite the tough loss, Juhi commended her teammates and expressed her high hopes for the team’s future improvement and achievements.
“I’m looking forward to more games in general,” Juhi said. “This is a really good group of girls and everyone is so strong, so I think no matter what happens in our future games, it’s gonna be loads of fun, and I can’t wait to see how much more we improve in the time left in the season.”
The Eagles currently hold a 12-4 record and will play at Castilleja next on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
