![“[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 boys volleyball triumphed over Lynbrook High School 25-14, 24-18 and 25-11 away on Friday.
Middle blocker Kairui Sun (11) opened the first set with an ace. Lynbrook pulled ahead off fumbles from the Eagles, but a kill by middle blocker Rahul Yalla (12) and a block and a kill by outside hitter Aaron Guo (12) soon restored Harker’s lead 6-5. Opposite hitter Liam Jeffers (12) scored a far hit, and outside hitter Topaz Lee (11) scored a hit and a kill to keep the Eagles in the lead 11-8 halfway into the set.
Libero Luke Wu (11) noted the skills that the team had worked on in practice to improve their hits.
“We’ve worked on different types of defenses during practice,” Luke said. “Mainly we focused on rotational and perimeter defense. We applied perimeter defense a lot this game to save a lot of hits.”
Harker continued to widen their lead in the rest of the first set, with two hits and a block from Kairui and an ace by serving specialist Gary Xu (9) advancing the score 16-10. Three outs from Lynbrook followed by successful long rallies on Harker’s side resulted in a strong first win for the Eagles 25-14.
The Eagles trailed 1-4 at the beginning of the second set. Topaz and Kairui retaliated with hits, but the Vikings scored several more rallies keeping their lead at 3-7. Harker then mounted a comeback with a series of successive kills by Liam and Rahul closing the gap 6-8. Libero Jacob Smith (12) served an ace, coupled with two attack errors from Lynbrook evening the score 10-10.
Topaz scored two more kills, putting Harker back in the lead 14-12. The Eagles then ran a continuous four-point streak to 18-12, solidifying their lead. Though both teams continued to score throughout the set, the Eagles remains firmly ahead 19-13. Three more successful hits in close proximity by Rahul closed the set 24-18.
“We did a really good job of doing the little things—giving out credit to each other, making sure that we had the chemistry and that we were fluid no matter what happened,” Jacob said. “Even if the other side got a really good kill, a good hit, it didn’t matter because we would just side right back out and keep going.”
Harker began the third set with a slight lead, as Kairui notched two kills while Lynbrook’s defense blocked several hits, putting the score at 4-3. The Eagles took control of the game from that point, with Aaron making multiple crucial saves and Lynbrook failing to return Harker’s shots at the net. Midway through the set, the Eagles ripped a seven-point streak, wearing down Lynbrook’s defense through long rallies to lead 19-7. Aaron and Liam continued the pressure on Lynbrook by jamming the setter multiple times, extending the lead to 10-24. Rahul scored the final hit, ending the game 25-11.
Head coach Mason Tufuga praised the team for their resilience and high morale throughout the match.
“There have been three things we’ve echoed throughout the week in the gym,” Tufuga said. “Those are: relentlessly doing my job for the guys around me, giving credit away when guys deserve it and having a great time while doing those two things. I think today we’ve done a good job with that.”
Varsity boys volleyball currently holds a 13-1 record and an eight-game winning streak following their most recent victory over the Justin Garza Guardians on Saturday. The team will next play Los Gatos at home on Friday.
