![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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 water polo edged out a tough win against Los Gatos High School 12-10 in an overtime match in Singh Aquatic Center on Sept. 11.
Los Gatos took possession and scored a point less than thirty seconds into the first quarter. After goalie Jasmine Hansra (12) blocked a shot from the Cats, they scored again, bringing the score to 0-2. With two minutes left in the quarter, field player Tvisha Ganesh (11) scored, narrowing the gap to 1-2.
Field players Isabel Yang (10) and Anoushka Madan (11) both scored points in succession, off speedy passes from field players Alana Brill (12) and Alrisha Chen (10). The Eagle’s 3-2 lead prompted the Cats to call the first timeout of the game. In the last play of the quarter, Los Gatos sunk the ball into the net.
At the start of the second quarter, Los Gatos took advantage of miscommunication among Harker defenders to score twice, bringing the game to 3-4. After rapid-fire passes between Isabel, Chelsea Liu (9) and Emma Xia (9), Alana netted a shot to close the gap, but the Cats converted two more goals, bringing up their lead to 4-6. With less than ten seconds left on the clock, Harker regained possession, and Tvisha lobbed a ball into the net, inciting an uproar from the stands and ending the quarter at 5-6.
Harker alumna and former varsity water polo player Sydney Adler (‘23) highlighted the team’s usage of 7 on 6 plays to increase chances of scoring. 7 on 6 is a unique offensive strategy where the goalie joins offensive players to increase the team’s advantage on the opponent.
“I really liked the creativity – the 7 on 6 plays definitely used [the opponents’] weaknesses to [our team’s] advantage,” Adler said. “They can’t throw full court, but they can make the shot 50% of the time. You can score on [the opponent] every time, but they’re never going to score on you even if you have no goalie in the goal.”
Both teams started off the third quarter with various fumbles and turnovers. Although the Eagles completed successive passes, pressure from the Cats forced them to lose the ball or divert their shot attempts.
In the Eagles’ half, Jasmine kept the game at a stalemate by making three saves. Eventually, Los Gatos drew multiple fouls and scored off of a penalty, bringing the score to 5-7. At the end of the quarter, Jasmine drove forward from the goal using a 7 on 6 play and scored.
The Eagles snagged a turnover in the first few seconds of the fourth quarter, but Los Gatos fought back with equal intensity, putting the ball into the net and bringing the score to 6-8. After another goal by Los Gatos, Harker recovered with goals from Chelsea Liu (9) and Isabel, closing down the gap to 8-9.
Intense offense and defense from both teams took place in the last few minutes of the quarter. A low Los Gatos shot from the side and a rebound goal for Harker from Anoushka added to the score. Jasmine made a low corner shot that finally tied the two teams 10-10. After two more timeouts and missed shot attempts by both teams, the quarter ended and the teams regrouped for overtime play.
Assistant coach Victor Adler praised the team for their determination and resilience.
“They did an amazing job because we don’t have many subs,” Adler said. “They stayed in the game, and after being down by two, came back. Defense pressing in the lanes was the most important for us. They took their opportunities at the end of the game to put it away.”
Encouraged by their comeback in the fourth quarter, Harker quickly took the lead 11-10 in overtime with a shot by Alana. Although the Cats kept making shots, Jasmine and the Eagles’ defenders cut off every angle of attack.
Alana capitalized on an intercepted pass to score a goal, widening the lead to 12-10. The Cats attempted to reclaim the ball, and when they did, the Eagles defense forced them to take poor shots which Jasmine saved, sealing a hard-fought win for Harker.
“The game was rough for us since we didn’t have that many subs and a lot of the girls were getting tired,” Alana said. “At some points [Los Gatos] was up, but we always managed to stay positive and stay in the game, and we were able to make a really good comeback. It was a really close game which made it more exciting and more motivational for us all.”
Varsity girls water polo currently holds a record of 2-2 and will play at Mountain View next on Tuesday.
