![“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)
Junior varsity girls volleyball defeated Crystal Springs Uplands 25-6, 25-12 in the Zhang Gymnasium on Sept. 26.
Crystal Springs won the first point of the first set, but the Eagles quickly recovered. Scoring five consecutive points, including three aces from defense specialist Zoya Khera (9), the Eagles brought the score to 5-1. After the game reached 8-5, the Eagles kicked off a series of consecutive kills, roofs and aces, pulling them ahead 18-5. Outside hitter Annabel Huang (10) closed the first set with two aces, ending the set 25-6.
Libero Alexis Leo (10) credited the team’s success to their improved teamwork with the setters’ strong sets that allowed hitters to complete kills.
“The foundation of the team is being able to do well under pressure,” Alexis said. “We definitely did really well, even when the other team was serving tougher or getting momentum.”
The Eagles began with a 4-2 lead in the second set. After a brief back-and-forth, the Eagles picked up the pace with a five point streak, taking the team to 9-2.
At 9-2, both teams committed a series of errors, but after an intense rally, the Eagles raised the score to 13-4. Soon after Crystal Springs called a time-out, Harker missed a dig off the net, but opposite and outside hitter Eden Ahluwalia (9) sent the ball in the far opposite corner of Crystal Spring’s side, bringing the score to 14-5.
(Claire Tian)
“We had a lot of energy in the beginning, which made us do better,” Eden said. “We had some slow moments, but once we had a time out, we were able to get it back.”
Both Harker and Crystal Springs earned points in back-and-forth rallies. After Crystal Springs called a time out, the Eagles returned to the court, and setter Lily Ahluwalia (9) served an ace.
Harker’s missed blocks, serves and hits out of bounds narrowed their lead over Crystal Springs, but outside hitter Ashley Zhou (9) delivered a kill that brought the score to 22-11. A missed serve from the other team allowed setter Emma Lee (10) to execute a two-point serving streak that concluded the set 25-12 and solidified Harker’s win.
Head coach Danielle Buis discussed the changes in positions and strategies the team has been making. They have been focusing on employing tipping as an intentional, offensive move, instead of an emergency one.
“It’s a team sport, and when you are doing changes, we still need to have variables that are consistent,” Coach Buis said. “When there’s too many variables that are changing and inconsistent, that’s when you start losing games. It’s a team sport, so you have to support each other. You’ve got to take care of your job wherever you are.”
The team holds an overall record of 3-1 and will play against Priory in an away game on Thursday.
