![“[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 boys volleyball defeated Lynbrook High School 25-18, 25-23 in the Zhang Gymnasium on March 26.
Middle blocker Spencer Mo (10) won the first point with a kill, one of his seven during the match. After mistakes from both the Vikings and the Eagles, the score reached 4-5. A kill from opposite hitter Weston Smith (9), a block from co-captain and outside hitter Ethan Gu (10) and a tip from Spencer pulled the eagles ahead 13-9.
Harker maintained their lead with a series of kills from Spencer and setter Dillon Ho (10), followed by two aces from Weston. Outside hitter David Tang (10) executed a kill that brought the score to 24-18, and the Eagles won the set after the Vikings touched the net.
Ethan reflected on the team’s performance in the first set and shared goals for the rest of the season.
“In the first set, everything was flowing well, Ethan said. “Even though we got caught up on some serves, we still managed to side out in a timely fashion and get our lead back. Our future goals are definitely more communication on the court and keeping the energy up and starting out even quicker.”
Despite the Eagles failing to return the Vikings’ serves at the beginning of the second set, three consecutive kills from Spencer brought the score to 3-4. Kills and aces from Ethan and misses from Lynbrook brought the score to 6-6. After several outs brought Harker down to 7-11, Ethan’s four point serving streak leveled the score 11-11. The Eagles and the Vikings went neck to neck, never allowing the other to pull ahead by more than by more than two points.
Following two aces from Lynbrook, a kill from outside hitter Lucas Cao (10) evened the score once again at 13-13. Dillon tried to pull ahead with kills, but the Vikings closely trailed them until catching up at 16-16. For the remainder of the set, the two teams traded points.
Spencer, Ethan and middle blocker Brendan Kong (9) kept Harker going strong with kills and tips, but Lynbrook matched them evenly. Near the end of the set, Spencer brought the Eagles up to 24-23 with a kill. After Lynbrook called a time out, the Vikings netted, granting Harker their final point for victory.
Defensive specialist William Ke (9) acknowledged the team’s victory and noted highlights from the game.
“We won, but we definitely could have done better,” William said. “I made some good digs and some pretty pretty decent passes. In the second set, we clutched up the game, and we won by two points.”
Head Coach Diana Melendez commended the Eagles for their improvement this season.
“At the beginning of the season, we maybe had seven players that were able to compete at a good level for us,” Melendez said. “Now we have three fourths of the team being able to compete at that level. That’s nice to have, considering the numbers that we have on this team.”
The team currently holds an overall record of 2-6 and will next compete at Cupertino High School on April 8.
![Sophomore Jessie Cao strikes a pose. “That feeling when you get a new skill, when you feel yourself improving on something you struggle with or when you overcome a mental block [is] really rewarding,” Jessie said. “As long as you push yourself and think you're trying your hardest, that's what matters the most.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/250918_jessiecaoapex_AshleyM_1-2-727x1200.jpg)
![Senior Gabe Sachse and sophomore Shaurya Jain hug after winning the game. “I don’t want to say goodbye because [the seniors] are my friends outside of baseball as well,” Shaurya said. “Either way, I wanted to go all out for the seniors.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/53-KAT_4240-e1747776384650-1200x778.jpg)
