![“[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 to Clovis East in a close 5-set game 25-23, 25-16, 21-25, 24-26 and 12-15 in the CIF State Regional Semifinals on May 23.
Clovis East opened the first set with multiple kills, and Harker responded with strong hits from outside hitter Topaz Lee (11) and middle blocker Kairui Sun (11) to bring the score to 3-4. Additional kills from middle blocker Rahul Yalla (12) and outside hitter Aaron Guo (12) pulled Harker to an 8-7 lead. Although aces, blocks and kills won Clovis East a brief lead, the Timberwolves failed to return hits from opposite hitter Liam Jeffers (12), Rahul and Topaz. Another ace from Liam tied the score 15-15. Following tips from Rahul and Kairui, Harker pulled ahead 19-17, forcing the Timberwolves to call a timeout. After a rally, a kill from Topaz and a tip from Rahul allowed Harker to secure the 25-23 first set victory.
“Knowing that we were this one special group and that each one of us contributed, that was kind of the attitude going into the game,” Kairui said. “Knowing that we were making history as we played. We did not have a particularly different game plan going into the game. We knew that they were pretty well balanced across the board.”
Harker opened the second set with an ace from setter Brandon Labio (10) and a kill from Kairui to bring the score to 2-0. Aaron tipped the ball over the net, winning the Eagles an early 4-0 lead. Following a missed serve from the Timberwolves and a kill from Topaz, the Eagles extended their advantage to 7-2. Hits from Topaz and Liam and a strong block by Rahul built Harker to an 11-3 lead heading into a timeout by Clovis East. An ace from libero Jacob Smith (12) brought Harker to 18-8 before another timeout. The Eagles gained points from multiple out-of-bounds hits by the Timberwolves, and despite blocks from Clovis East, Topaz scored the final point with a kill to win the second set 25-16.
Harker earned the first point of the third set after an out-of-bounds serve from Clovis East, but soon fell behind 1-6 after multiple failed returns. Despite kills from Harker, the Timberwolves extended their lead to 4-11. The Eagles began to regain their momentum off a kill by Aaron, narrowing the gap to 9-12 before a timeout. After multiple blocks from Kairui and a kill from Aaron, the Eagles clinched points to level the score 14-14. Despite defensive efforts from Harker, Clovis East reclaimed the lead and sealed a 21-25 win to end the third set.
“Going into the game, we knew it would be close,” Brandon said. “We’re pretty equally matched up in terms of our skills, so we knew it’d be a fight. In the first two sets, the crowd was huge, so they gave us a lot of energy, and in the third set we started slower gave in too early.”
The Timberwolves opened the fourth set with an early 2-4 lead over the Eagles. Harker made a quick comeback with multiple plays from Rahul, bumping the score up to 8-5 heading into an Eagles timeout. However, after Harker failed to return kills from the Timberwolves, Clovis East reclaimed their advantage 11-15. Harker tightened the gap with kills from Kairui and Liam, pulling the score to 15-18. With a swift block from setter Advay Monga (12) and a kill from Aaron, the Eagles fought level 21-21. The two teams remained neck and neck, with another kill by Kairui bringing the score to 23-23. Clovis East served an ace in the final play of the set, clinching a two-point edge over the Eagles for the 24-26 victory.
“Having those two wins under our belt was nice because we knew that we just had to win one of the remaining three sets,” Kairui said. “I remember our coach said in a timeout, ‘Keep the pressure on the gas because this could very well go to five sets.’ I don’t feel like we were in our peak rhythm or peak form, and at a stage this big, admittedly, the nerves do get to you a bit, and it all just kind of snowballs in your head.”
Clovis East quickly built a 2-5 lead to open the fifth set. Harker struggled to hit past the opposing blockers and return the Timberwolves’ kills, and several out-of-bounds hits by Harker brought the score to 4-9. After an unexpected tip from Advay, the Eagles tightened the gap to 8-11. Harker continued to close down on the Timberwolves, bringing the score up to 11-13 after Clovis East failed to return several of the Eagles’ hits. At game point, Harker failed to return the Timberwolves’ kill, and Clovis East took the final set 12-15, winning the game.
The Eagles attracted a large audience of parents, faculty and students. Spectator and girls varsity volleyball player Brooke Kubose (11) commended the boys team for their efforts in this match.
“I really loved watching this game,” Brooke said. “The energy and the pure team chemistry really made their season memorable. Despite the loss, the boys volleyball team definitely made history in this match.”
This was the final game of the team’s season, making history as the furthest the Eagles have advanced in the Norcal Division 1 tournament. They ended their season with a 26-9 overall record.
Additional reporting by Minal Jalil.
![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)
