![“[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 boys volleyball team bested Mountain View in a 25-17, 25-17, 25-20 sweep at home on Wednesday.
Harker pulled ahead to a 6-2 lead at the start of the first set, capitalizing on a series of unforced errors by the Spartans. An aggressive Mountain View serving run tightened the score to 11-10, but a quick kill by middle Kairui Sun (10) broke the Spartans’ momentum to keep Harker up 12-10. The Eagles continued to create offensive opportunities out of the middle to force the first Spartan timeout at 17-12. Harker maintained its momentum coming out of the timeout, going on a 6-3 run until Mountain View called their final timeout at 23-15. Kairui closed the set with a stuff block at 25-17.
The Eagles gained an early lead in the second set, marked by strong offense plays like a hard cut out of the middle by middle Rahul Yalla (11). A short string of unforced errors from the Eagles tightened the score to 7-7, but a kill from co-captain and pin hitter Spencer Mak (12) and diving save from co-captain and setter Adrian Liu (12) punctuated the Eagles’ 4-0 run to 11-7. The Eagles continued with kills by Kairui, Rahul and opposite Kyle Johnson (12) to cruise to a 25-17 second set win. Adrian emphasized his significant improvement in setter-hitter connections during this game, as the Eagles prepared for the Best of the West tournament in San Diego from Friday to Saturday.
“Setting-wise, I was doing better today connecting, especially with my outsides,” Adrian said. “I was having a bit of trouble pinpointing the pins, but today was a little bit better. When we played Monta Vista, we were still getting used to the swing of things, with people switching around positions. Ironing things out was nice to get that flow going before San Diego.”
Zachary echoed Adrian’s sentiment, highlighting the Eagles’ focus on cohesion throughout not just the match but the season.
“Right now, we’re a bunch of really good individual players,” Zachary said. “Last year we took a CCS title, and this year, we’re going for something higher, something bigger. We need to just keep strengthening our connections, setting, passing, all that.”
Mountain View finally broke the Eagle’s momentum in the opening of the third set, notching a 4-1 lead. The Eagles quickly responded, tying the score at 6-6, and gained a slight lead at 9-8 Eagles. An aggressive over-on-two by outside hitter Liam Jeffers (11) helped widen the gap, eventually bringing the Eagles to an 11-8 lead. They kept their momentum, with co-captain and outside hitter Zachary Blue’s pin kill extending the Eagle’s advantage to 18-12. A late push by the Spartans brought them within five at 17-22. After some back-and-forth, a stuff-block from Adrian and middle Edis Mesic (12) brought the Eagles to match point. They closed the final set 25-20 to complete the sweep.
Assistant coach Diana Melendez commended the Eagles for their improvement playing as a team, from heightened communication to running more consistent plays. She hopes they will continue that growth as they progress through their season.
“They played way more structured,” Melendez said. “They were able to better communicate and integrate a lot of their own individual skills as a group to unify them. Be more structured, own your job on the court, be a good teammate, work together.”
The team holds a 3-0 record and will next play Lynbrook in an away game next Wednesday.
