![“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 Kings Academy 25-22 and 25-15 on Oct. 24.
Setter Emma Lee (10) made the first serve of the match and Kings Academy took the initial lead after an out-of-bounds Eagles hit. Harker quickly caught up, scoring two points after the Knights missed two rebounds from the net. Continuing to thwart the Knights’ scoring opportunities, outside Eden Ahluwalia (9) and right side Ruhi Banerjee (11) consecutively blocked their attacks.
Middle Abigail Liu (9) went on a 7-point serving streak, putting Harker ahead 10-7. The score remained close, with both sides battling hard for each point. To win the final point for the Eagles, libero Alexis Leo (10) served the ball and aced it, allowing Harker to win the set 25-22.
Head coach Danielle Buis commended the team for their persistence. The last time the Eagles played Kings Academy, in an out-of-league game on Oct. 1, the Knights won, proving to be a difficult opponent.
“They played more scrappy than they normally do, and they were not letting balls drop as frequently,” Coach Buis said. “I’m really proud of them for not giving up on balls that normally would be really hard to get. They gave it a go, got it up and got a point out of it.”
When the second set began, Kings Academy earned two points. On the third point, the head referee overruled Harker’s line referees to declare that the Eagles had hit the ball out of bounds, awarding another point to the Knights.
Christine Lim, Alexis’s mother, applauded the Eagles’ mental fortitude throughout the game.
“The girls played really well as a team today, and even if mistakes were made, they moved on very quickly and gave it their best,” Lim said. “They were pretty confident even before the game. Even if they trail by a couple of points into the game, this team still has that grit and mentality to just push through.”
With Harker trailing by three points, Buis called a timeout to encourage the girls to continue working hard. The Eagles quickly pulled ahead of the Knights, winning crucial points, usually after a series of long rallies. Alexis dove to the floor to make saves, creating opportunities for her teammates to set and spike the ball, and Harker ultimately dominated the second set 25-15.
Outside hitter Aarya Vaidya (9) reflected upon both the team’s strengths and weaknesses, observing how, in the future, the team could improve upon maintaining their confidence.
“Sometimes, if we get down by a few points, we dig ourselves into a hole, but we’re really good at digging ourselves out,” Aarya said. “Making sure we don’t get into the hole is really valuable. Everybody was super supportive today. This is our second to last game, so it just felt like a lot of fun.”
Harker currently holds an undefeated league record of 9-0 and is set to play Priory next on Oct. 29 in an away game.
