![“[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 tennis overcame Sacred Heart Preparatory 6-1 during their senior night match at Blackford on Oct. 22.
Before the matches, the team honored seniors Audrey Feng, Olivia Guo and Charlize Wang. Head coach JP Fruttero thanked the seniors for their contributions toward the tennis team over the past four years.
“The seniors have been a part of history,” Fruttero said. “We’ve won NorCal Championships, multiple CCS titles with them. It’s going to be heartfelt; they’re going to be missed miserably.”
After narrowly losing 4-3 during their last matchup against Sacred Heart, the Eagles faced off their opponents for second place in the West Bay Athletic League. Harker’s single players, frosh Kendra Zhao, sophomore Claire Xu, junior Pavith Khara and Audrey dominated in all of their matches. Kendra beat her opponent with a 7-2 tiebreaker in an eight-game pro set, and Claire swept her opponent in two straight sets 6-4, 6-1. Audrey overcame her two matches 6-1, 6-4.
“I played this same opponent a few weeks ago, and it was a really tight match,” Audrey said. “I was happy that I was able to keep it a bit cleaner, especially in the first set.”
In the doubles matches, frosh Abby Cheng and Shioiri Lin won their first set 6-3 but fell short in the next two sets 5-7, 5-10. Charlize and frosh Omya Vidyarthi triumphed over their opponents 6-0, 6-1, capitalizing on their opponents’ failed returns. Olivia G. and frosh Olivia Zhao dominated the second set after narrowly besting their opponents in the first set, winning 7-6, 6-2.
“We were nervous about playing their doubles since they’re a really good team and our opponent has a nice volley,” Olivia G. said. “In this match, we tried to avoid hitting to the volleyer, and we succeeded and were able to win.”
Reflecting on the season, Olivia Z. appreciated the opportunity to learn from the seniors and build lasting memories with them.
“We’ll miss our seniors a lot,” Olivia Z. said. “They’ve been a huge inspiration to all of us. They’re all so kind, and they’re the leaders on our team.”
The Eagles currently hold a 7-2 record overall and face Menlo next in an away game on Oct. 31.
