![“[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 defeated Homestead High School in three sets 25-21, 25-18 and 26-24 during the CCS Open Division quarterfinal on May 13 in the Zhang Gym.
At the beginning of the first set, the two teams kept pace with each other, trading kills and out-of-bounds serves. After a 4-0 run with hits by opposite hitter Liam Jeffers (12) and an ace by libero Jacob Smith (12), the Eagles reached their first significant advantage at 7-3, and the Mustangs called a time-out. Harker kept the lead for the rest of the set, with middle blocker Rahul Yalla (12) and outside hitter Aaron Guo (12) contributing hits in a 5-2 run that brought the score to 22-16. The Eagles won the set 25-21 with an out-of-bounds Mustang serve.
Assistant Athletic Director Alfredo Alves congratulated the team for staying level-headed and calculated throughout the game, praising them for moving on to the semifinals.
“Coming into this game, they played this team three times, and having to play a pretty good team four times, especially in the playoffs, and staying calm and collected throughout the game is difficult,” Alves said. “I think the energy was there for the team defensively. They did well, they were connecting on many things and they were able to pick each other up and play well.”
Throughout the first half of the second set, Harker kept a narrow lead. Rahul tipped the ball over the net to bring the score to 9-4. Although the Eagles blocked the frequent Mustang attacks, the Mustangs rebounded the balls from the net and went on a 3-0 run, though they still lagged behind the Eagles 14-12. The Eagles regained momentum, and Aaron finished four kills to bring the score to 23-16. At the end of the set, outside Topaz Lee (11) executed consecutive hits, winning the set 25-18.
Although the Eagles started the third set strong, jumping to a 3-0 lead, the Mustangs quickly caught up by capitalizing on defensive and serving mistakes. Homestead took the lead when they brought the score to 8-9 with a well-placed block that the Eagles failed to receive. Harker fought hard to equalize and tied the score at 18-18 after a long rally ending with a kill by middle blocker Kairui Sun (11). After exchanging attacks and out-of-bounds serves, the teams tied again at 22-22. Rahul and Topaz regained the lead through hits, and the Eagles finally won the set 26-24 after an out-of-bounds Mustangs serve.
“It was really great how the team was able to work together even when they were down a few points,” spectator Alexis Leo (10) said. “They were able to bounce back really quick and recover from that. It was really exciting to see such good volleyball being played, because they’re playing in CCS Open this year, so that’s obviously a higher level than some of the teams they faced this season.”
This game marked a historical moment in Harker volleyball: defeating an opponent in the open CCS bracket. Libero Jacob Smith (12) reflected on entering this bracket in his senior year and how hard the team worked to make this win happen.
“It was really satisfactory to be able to play this game in my very last year here after our senior night, being the first Harker volleyball team to win a game in open CCS,” Jacob said. “I’m really proud of the product that our team is, the chemistry we have and the reps we did in practice. Also, the way that we can make plays and get the crowd hype is our best attribute.”
After losing 3-2 to Archbishop Mitty on Thursday, the team holds a 25-8 record and plays in the CIF NorCal Tournament against Folsom High School today.
![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)
