![“[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 faltered against Los Gatos High School 3-1 in an away game on May 5.
The Eagles traded points throughout the first set in a hotly-contested battle. After a 3-0 run, Harker gained its first significant lead at 20-17, forcing Los Gatos to call a timeout. Harker maintained the lead with momentum-building plays including a stuff block by middle blocker Kairui Sun (11), bringing the score to 23-19. With a quick kill from co-captain middle blocker Rahul Yalla (12) and a tip by co-captain outside hitter Aaron Guo (12), Harker won the set 25-19.
Both teams battled back-and-forth throughout the second set. Although the Eagles gained a 8-7 advantage, Los Gatos responded with a fierce 9-3 run marked by several Eagle defensive errors. After a timeout, the Eagles responded with a kill out of the middle from Rahul but ultimately lost the set 17-25.
“We won the first set as a result of good passing, and we spread the ball well,” setter Brandon Labio (10) said, “The middles were absolutely terrific in the first set; almost every ball we set them was a kill. In the other sets we just lost that. It might have been the passing, but it was also due to morale. We just didn’t do a good job of resetting each point, and that’s the reason for a loss.”
The Eagles opened the third set strong with hits from Kairui and Rahul earning an early five point lead. A dump from the Los Gatos setter reversed the Eagles’ momentum, and both teams fought to a tied score at 11-11. Gaining back some ground, a brief three-point run from the Eagles forced the Wildcat timeout, but various unforced errors allowed Los Gatos to bounce back and roll to the 19-25 set finish. Head coach Mason Tufuga said the Eagles focus on positively framing failure as a team.
“A lot of what we look for, especially as coaches, is how we respond after failure,” Tufuga said. “Failure is okay. It’s expected. You’re not supposed to be perfect at all times, but we definitely look at how we respond.”
The Eagles took the first point of the fourth set off a kill from Kairui out of the middle but struggled to break through Los Gatos’ net defense for the rest of the set. Los Gatos climbed to a 13-2 lead before outside hitter Jacob Smith (12) earned a kill off the block to bring the score to 3-13. A series of errors by Los Gatos led the Eagles on a brief 3-0 run, but they ultimately failed to rebound against Los Gatos’ home-crowd momentum, losing 17-25.
Despite the loss, Rahul’s parent and game spectator Neelima Perla acknowledged the team’s diverse abilities and wished them luck in their senior night game on Wednesday.
“The team is always good, they play strong,” Perla said. “I feel they need to coordinate more and have a good defense. They’ve definitely grown a lot from the first game to now.”
The Eagles currently hold an overall record of 25-7 and next face off against Archbishop Mitty in the CCS Open Division Semifinal tomorrow.
