![“[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 crushed Castilleja 25-14, 25-17 and 25-17 in the Zhang Gymnasium last Tuesday.
Defensive specialist Aline Grinspan (11)’s ace put the Eagles up at 4-3, allowing them to comfortably hold a lead which they retained for most of the game. Middle hitter Emily Mitnick (12) later killed the ball, followed by aces from setter Brooke Kubose (11) and Aline to bring the Eagles’ lead to 17-11. The Eagles pressed forward, with outside hitter Nat Tan (11) hitting two consecutive aces to win the set 25-13.
Defensive specialist Isabella Wong (9) reflected on her performance in the set, particularly the moments where she had to recover from early slip-ups.
“I wasn’t really focused in the first set, but I was able to focus more and move on from past mistakes,” Isabella said. “There was one [play] where I was supposed to get the ball after the setter, but I forgot. It didn’t happen again, but I kept it in my mind.”
In the second set, a dive from libero Norah Mehanna (12) and an errant hit from Castilleja gave Harker the lead 3-1. Elie Ahuwalia (11)’s kill shot, assisted by a set from Norah, moved Harker ahead 11-9. After Elie scored two straight points to bring the Eagles to 18-10, the Gators bounced back with five consecutive points. With a block from middle hitter Eden Kelly (11) and a kill by outside hitter Divya Bhupathi (10), Harker won the set 25-17.
David Chang, father of setter Keira Chang (11), praised the team’s coordination and skill across the court.
“All the components of the team were really on target,” Chang said. “The hitting was great, defense was very strong, both our setters did really, really well. They played almost as well today as I’ve ever seen them play. There were some really fantastic hits that came down.”
Continuing their momentum through the third set, the Eagles pulled into an early lead 3-0 with an ace by Keira. Divya and Nat killed the ball in two consecutive plays to bring the score to 15-8. The team remained consistent in winning their plays throughout the rest of the set, as Divya killed another point and Emily stuffed the ball to a score of 23-13. Though the Gators mounted a comeback, winning four points in a row, the Eagles rounded off the game to a set score of 25-17.
“It’s probably the first time in the past two years we were able to win in three, so it’s a huge win for us,” Nat said. “Our team did very well, especially since there were some scramble plays, but we were definitely able to hold our ground.”
Varsity girls volleyball currently holds a 7-5 overall record and plays King’s Academy next on Tuesday.
