![“[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 decimated Eastside College Prep 25-4, 25-6, 25-5 in the Zhang Gym on Tuesday.
Outside hitter Divya Bhupathi (10) tipped the ball over the net to win the Eagles’ first point of the set, opening the match strong. Harker continued to widen their lead, with opposite Stephanie Bossalina (12) and outside hitter Navya Samuel (12) blocking a hit in unison. Despite a mishit that put Eastside on the scoreboard, Navya quickly brushed off the error with a kill, bringing Harker up 6-1.
Harker dominated throughout the rest of the set, with middle hitter Emily Mitnick (12) hitting strong kills and libero Aline Grinspan (11) going on a thirteen point serving streak to give Harker the lead 20-3. At match-point, the Panthers served the ball into the net, giving Harker the set 25-5.
During the match, the Eagles were able to experiment with complex, risky plays in more low-stakes environments. Middle hitter Joyce Zhang (10) commented on the game’s importance as a teaching opportunity.
“We went into this game less nervous about the outcome because we’ve played this team before and won by a similar amount,” Joyce said. “We went in thinking about how we could improve instead of just trying to win. We were able to run plays we weren’t able to before because we got a lot of free balls from this school.”
Setter Brooke Kubose (11) commenced the second set for the Eagles, and after a long rally, the Panthers won the first point. Harker and Eastside battled for the initial points, remaining neck and neck until outside hitter Elie Ahluwhalia (11) served an ace to pull the Eagles ahead 5-3. Harker built on their score, with another ace by Elie and two by setter Kiera Chang (11) solidifying Harker’s advantage 14-4.
Two swift kills by Joyce and one by Navya continued Harker’s streak 19-4, before successive aces by setter Keira Chang and Aline took the score to 23-5. An unsuccessful serve on each side brought the game to an impasse, but the Eagles scored the next point to win the set 25-6.
Harker maintained a steady edge in the last set, pulling ahead 7-2 with aces by Brooke and Elie. Occasional unsuccessful serves by the Eagles allowed the Panthers to put themselves on the scoreboard, but a second wave of kills from Harker established their lead 16-4.
As the Eagles slammed kills and aces, several Panthers players resorted to saving the ball with their feet to keep it in play with their feet. Harker did not loosen their grasp, with Divya hitting an ace to bring the Eagles to 22-5. During the final play, Eastside hit the ball out of bounds, punctuating Harker’s victory 25-5.
Harkers’ comfortable win allowed them to build confidence, which Keira hopes they will carry with them as they prepare to face more threatening opponents later in the season.
“We went on a lot of good serving runs, and Elie hit a really good rip,” Keira said. “I’m looking forward to really practicing those plays more and getting good at them so that we can use them on more competitive matches.”
Assistant coach Jonathan Schwartz highlighted the team’s versatility in executing unfamiliar plays, which remains a goal as the team moves forward in the season.
“It was great to see some plays that we haven’t done a whole lot before during our normal practice times come out in the game,” Coach Schwartz said. “Hopefully we can incorporate those plays and add some more next time. It should be exciting.”
Varsity girls volleyball currently holds an undefeated 6-0 league record and plays Castilleja next on Oct. 17 in an away game.
