![“[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 lost a close 5-set game 25-20, 17-25, 25-24, 22-25 and 15-12 to Archbishop Mitty in the CCS Open Division semifinal on May 15.
Mitty opened the first set with a strong kill and built a 3–5 lead. After outside hitter Topaz Lee (11) and middle blocker Rahul Yalla (12) served, Harker capitalized on several Mitty errors to tie the score at 8–8. Outside hitter Aaron Guo (12) served an ace, and intense plays close to the net extended Harker’s lead to 14-11. Although the Eagles missed a few balls, they pulled ahead to 21-18 with deep shots that Mitty failed to return. Following a Mitty timeout, senior libero Jacob Smith’s serve sealed the set with an ace, winning the set 25–20.
Aaron described the team’s strategy going into the game. Harker tried to use teamwork and holes in the Mitty defense to offset the strength of the generally taller Mitty team.
“We did a really good job serving,” Aaron said. “We’re keeping them out of system because they do have a really big hitter, and we slowed them down a lot by forcing their passes off the net. Our blocking and defense were also very good.”
The Monarchs gained a slight lead in the second set, but a serve from Topaz and the ensuing rally earned the Eagles points, bringing the score to 4-6. Mitty’s score continued to climb until Harker called a timeout at 4-9, swapping multiple starters out as they tired. Over the next few plays, both sides gained points, but Mitty’s multiple kills widened the gap until they led 10–15.
After opposite hitter Liam Jeffers (12) successfully blocked Mitty’s hit, Harker began to close the gap as Topaz blocked multiple of Mitty’s kills. The Monarchs upped the intensity with more aggressive kills, in response, pulling into a 13–18 lead. A failed serve by the Eagles brought the score to 14–21, but Harker gained points with multiple tactical tips by Aaron, landing the score at 16–23. Harker gained another point off an out-of-bounds serve by the Monarchs, but lost the set 17-25.
The third set began with each side evenly scoring points, but the Eagles began to fall behind after multiple failed passes, bringing the score to 4–7. After a pass by Rahul and a set play with Topaz and Aaron, Harker gained momentum to 6–7. Mitty soon retook their lead, and the Eagles fell behind to 9-16. Harker began to close the gap, with Topaz, Rahul and Liam blocking Mitty’s hits. Rahul passed the ball to Topaz and Aaron, who scored several consecutive hits, bringing the score to 19-22. After more successful blocks by Liam and Aaron, the game reached a tie of 23-23. Mitty hit out of bounds after a short rally, and Harker won the set at a close 26-24.
Head Coach Mason Tufuga attributed the Eagles’ comeback to the persistence that the team had honed throughout the season.
“The team doesn’t really use score as a way to gauge where we are in the match or in terms of where we draw our confidence,” Tufuga said. “We draw our confidence from the practice gym. We’ve worked hard. I think we did a good job fighting for each point as hard as the last.”
During the fourth set with the score at 2-1, Topaz scored a point after a long rally, securing Harker’s lead. The Eagles and Monarchs traded points and kept a close battle, tying at 7-7. Mitty took the lead with several aggressive kills, but Topaz and Aaron successfully hit the ball into open areas of Mitty’s court, tying again at 14-14. Harker gained the advantage briefly after Rahul and Topaz scored, but Mitty pulled even with several kills. With the score tied 20-20, Mitty won points from several rallies, and Harker faltered, losing the set 22-25.
Harker maintained a slight lead in the fifth set until Mitty leveled the score to 9-9 with a kill. A block against Liam and a missed serve return by Jacob shifted the momentum to Mitty at 9–11. Liam came back with a kill to tie the score again, but a net violation and a miscue on a return gave Mitty a two-point edge, pushing the score to 10–13. After a Harker timeout and a point off a hit that broke through the blockers, the Eagles attempted a block that landed out, bringing the score to 12-14. At the final point, referees ruled Liam’s contentious point out of bounds, and Mitty took the set 12–15, ending the match.
“That was some of the best volleyball we ever played,” Topaz said. “The season was incredible. We came into the season not very high up on the rankings at all. I’m really proud of how well we play together. I think we definitely held our own, and I’m really proud of us doing this well this season.”
The team holds a 26-8 record and competes in the second round of the CIF NorCal Tournament Division 1 Playoffs against Clovis East tomorrow.
![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)
