![“[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)
Frosh girls volleyball defeated Priory 25-19 and 25-5 in the Zhang Gymnasium on Tuesday.
Harker fell behind at the start of the first set due to mistakes in communication and coordination, causing Priory to gain the lead 4-1. After back-and-forth points, outside hitter Sophie Wu (9) served four consecutive points, including two aces, bringing the Eagles to 7-5.
The Eagles maintained a tight lead throughout the set with serves from outside and opposite hitter Eva Petrova (9) and strong aces from libero Dyuthi Valamsetty (9), ultimately winning the first set 25-19. Sophie reflected on the team’s strong comeback during the second set.
“It was a wakeup call in the first set when we won by such a small margin,” Sophie said. “We won against this team by a lot last time and we were like ‘we should really get on top of our game and play volleyball.”
Harker established a lead in the second set after aces from Sophie brought the score to 7-1. Several missed passes from the Panthers let Harker gain a 9-point lead. Aces from both opposite hitter Maya Choudhari (10) and outside hitter Maya Horan (9) pushed the score to 18-5. Sophie hit a kill after a long rally, and the Panthers hit the ball out of bounds, allowing Harker to take the win 25-5.
Head coach Andrei Hinda commended the Eagles’ positive spirit throughout the game, despite feeling nervous in the first set.
“My proudest moment in the game was when I talked with the team, and I asked them to be happy to cheer on the court,” Coach Hinda said. “All I want to see is that they enjoyed the game. Most of the players served well, which made me really happy. I can’t wait for the next season.”
Middle blocker Sarah Wang (10) emphasized the Eagles’ improvement throughout the league and shared hopes for the future.
“I hope to continue to preserve my relationship with the freshmen because I really feel that we bonded throughout this season,” Sarah said. “Every moment of this game was a highlight because it was our last.”
The team concluded their season with an overall record of 10-8.
