![“[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 girls volleyball opened their season with a tight 5-set win in an away game against Branham High School 25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 24-26 and 15-10 on Aug. 28.
“This was our first time beating Branham within the years I’ve been here, so it was really exciting,” setter Keira Chang (12) said. “It meant a lot to a lot of us because most of us are seniors, and we had that same path and history with Branham.”
Harker took the early lead of 3-1 off a tip from right side hitter Nat Tan (12) and an ace by outside hitter Elie Ahluwalia (12), who led the game with 24 kills total. In response, the Bruins countered with successful serves, but Nat leveled the game at 6-6 after a long rally. Despite Branham’s consistent serving, Elie narrowed the gap 9-10 with a cross-court hit. Building on floater serves by Keira and passes by libero Aline Grinspan (12), a hit by outside hitter Divya Bhupathi (11) pulled Harker ahead 15-13. Elie dominated on offense, executing consecutive kills, ending a rally at 21-17. The Bruins served out of bounds, allowing the Eagles to secure the first set win 25-22.
In the second set, Elie led the Eagles in points with multiple hits, but they fell behind 3-6 after failed receives. Aline pushed back with a four-serve streak, and Harker began to dominate. Saves by Keira and Divya gave Elie more opportunities to hit, bringing the score to 15-10. Harker’s defense began to falter as Branham completed successful kills and blocks, pulling ahead 18-22. The Bruins continued serving strong and Harker failed to return the ball over the net. A missed tip by the Eagles resulted in a 21-25 loss.
“After set two we were feeling down, but then we had a chat and got our energy up,” Divya said. “That really helped us to just maintain a lead. Being with the team, sometimes you just take a moment to be quiet and take a deep breath. As a team, we keep a smile on our faces and give encouragement.”
Keira opened the third set with four consistent serves. Following a save by Aline, Nat completed a kill, sending the Branham defense in disarray. Divya’s kill increased their lead to 6-1. Miscommunication between the Eagles receivers led to shanked passes, allowing Branham to close the gap 11-9. As Branham racked up kills, middle Eden Kelly (12) and Nat blocked one of Branham’s hits, allowing Harker to regain their momentum. The Bruins returned by countering the Eagle’s hits with their own tips, catching up to the Eagles with a score of 21-20. After a final kill and block by Elie, Harker seized the victory 25-21, with Eagles at two set wins and Branham with one.
Both teams were neck-and-neck in the fourth set, but blocks by Branham pushed Harker behind 5-8. Defensive specialist Alexis Leo (11) narrowed the score gap 9-10 with several serves. Elie contributed consecutive hits to tie the score 13-13, but missed hits and holes in the Eagles’ defense allowed the Bruins to pull forward 13-17. While Branham maintained their lead, Divya’s kill allowed Harker to recover, with a save by Keira leading to a hit by Elie that Branham failed to return. At 23-24, Branham called for a timeout. Coming out of the break, Elie executed another kill, and the two teams entered into a deuce. Branham quickly recovered, and after a missed hit by Harker, Branham completed a sneaky tip, seizing the set 24-26.
“A lot of the time when I am struggling, all my teammates have my back, which is really good to feel because at the beginning I was not doing my best,” Elie said. “And everybody was really hyping me up. We got into some errors, but you know volleyball has its ups and downs. In the end we did a really good job of being comfortable with the ups and downs because that’s just how the game works.”
Both teams exchanged hits during the fifth set, with a line kill by Divya pulling Harker ahead 4-2. From the middle, Elie swung cleanly across the court to bring the score to 6-3. Following an ace by Aline, Elie targeted an unguarded space to keep Harker ahead 10-7. Elie continued to control the offense with a tip followed with a swing, bringing the score to 12-9. Diya scored the last two hits of the game, securing the victory for Harker at 15-10.
Head coach Theresa Smith noted the team’s perseverance in this game, highlighting the combined efforts of offensive hits and defensive saves leading to their win.
“I’m proud of us for hanging in there,” Smitty said. “I’m proud of us for being aggressive on points where, if you don’t score, it’s nerve wracking. Instead of focusing on, ‘we’re going to do this, or we’re going to do that,’ we try to refocus and center ourselves as opposed to being focused on nervous energy. I’m happy we won, I’m happy we fought in a five set match, and I’m happy we have something to build off of.”
The team holds an overall record 1-0 and will play Milpitas at home today.
![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)
