![“[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)
Junior varsity girls volleyball defeated Branham High School in two sets 25-23, 25-13 on Thursday in their first game of the season.
Harker opened the match with libero Zoya Khera (10)’s pass followed by middle Navya Maddipudi (9)’s quick attack kill. The team continued to hammer Branham with aces and kills, building a 5-1 lead. After a timeout by Branham, the Bruins went on a serving run, catching up to the Eagles 5-5. Opposite Emma Lee (11) brought the Eagles up 8-7 with a line kill assisted by setter Lily Ahluwalia (10).
The Bruins played solid defense against outside Aarya Vaidya (10)’s powerful hits, and both teams scrambled back and forth in a sequence of long rallies, before Zoya scored an ace to bring Harker up 18-17. Branham’s missed serve brought Harker up 22-20, but a Branham kill and Harker’s hitting errors tied the set 23-23. After opposite hitter Jessie Lin (9) successfully blocked the Bruins’ hit, another missed serve from Branham concluded the set 25-23.
“That block was really crazy because we were very close to winning, but we were kind of going downhill,” said Emma, “But starting from that block, we really got our morale back up, and it was a great changing point for the game.”
The Eagles failed to receive Branham’s hits and fell behind 1-4 at the beginning of the second set. After multiple aces by Navya, the Eagles pulled into the lead 6-5. Lily went on a serving run, widening the lead to 13-6. A successful tip by Emma brought the score to 15-9. Consistently picking up Branham’s hits, defensive specialists Selena Ghane (9) and Megan Hu (9) kept the ball in play, allowing the Eagles to continue swinging at the Bruins. Branham continued to widen the lead with multiple service errors.
As the set continued, the Eagles’ communication grew louder, and they were able to recover quickly from off-target passes by working together, bringing them up 20-12. Outside hitter Abby Liu (10) delivered a powerful kill to bring the game to set point, and with another ace by Lily, the Eagles ultimately ended the set and game with a 25-13 win.
“We all communicated well at the end, and our serves and hits were really good. There were a lot of aces and a lot of position serves,” middle Maya Horan (10) said. “[This game] definitely shows what we are capable of doing, and that we will be able to do better.”
Following this victory, head coach Mason Ward reflected on the team’s performance and has high hopes for this team in the rest of their season.
“They set the bar high, so now the expectations are just as high,” Mason said. “I think we had amazing energy. During our first two scrimmages, we were kind of up and down with the energy, but this game, we just went out and played our hearts out. Practices are going to be hard and consistent, and we’re going to try and keep this level of energy going.”
The team holds a 1-0 record and will play Milpitas at Harker next Thursday.
![Sai Kaneshiro (10) warms up her swinging technique during a practice. “I try to not think about [the pressure] too much and just take it one day at a time, one tournament at a time,” Sai said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/sai-kaneshiro-10-ashley-mo-min-2-e1756584218934-981x1200.jpg)
