![“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)
Junior varsity girls volleyball lost a league game to Sacred Heart Prep 17-25, 25-19 and 10-15 on Tuesday.
The Gators opened the match with multiple aces, forcing the Eagles to call a timeout at 1-7. After the timeout, Harker responded with multiple kills from outside hitter Selena Ghane (9) and a block by middle Maya Horan (10) to bring the score to 4-9.
Sacred Heart delivered another serving run, increasing the score to 12-17. The Eagles struggled with backrow communication issues and dropped three balls to widen the gap to 13-21. Opposite hitter Aarya Vaidya (10) scored on a tip to close on the Gators’ lead, but numerous serving errors by the Eagles concluded the set at 17-25.
“We fought really hard against a team that had really good defense, and we also fought back with good defense,” outside Maddie Avila (11) said. “We just made a few errors. Everyone played really well though.”
Harker earned the first point of the second set after a Sacred Heart cross-court swing went out. Each side landed powerful kills to keep the score close, but a strong serving stretch from Sacred Heart pushed them to the lead at 2-5.
Jessie Lin (9) and Aarya closed the gap with kills and a tip, and successive Sacred Heart errors allowed Harker to even the score 9-9. The Eagles gained momentum with an ace by setter Emma Lee (11), capitalizing on the Gators’ serving errors and pulling into the lead 16-15.
Riding that momentum into the closing stretch, Harker extended their lead with a string of aces and Sacred Heart hitting errors, forcing the Gators to call a timeout at 24-19. After returning to the court, the Gators hit the ball out of bounds, ending the set at 25-19 to tie the game 1-1.
Head coach Mason Ward took two timeouts in the first half of the third set in an attempt to freeze the Gators’ flow. Middle Navya Madipuddi (9) highlighted how these team huddles offered an opportunity to build team morale.
“We were trying to uplift each other because we play better when there is a positive energy versus negative,” Navya said. “We wanted to just make each other happy by saying, ‘Oh, it’s not your fault — you got the next one.’”
To open the third set, the Eagles scored the first point off an out-of-bounds hit by the Gators. Sacred Heart responded back with two aces, bringing the score to 1-2. The Eagles’ defensive lapses left holes that Sacred Heart exploited, increasing the deficit to 4-9. A pair of aces and middle attacks from the Gators extended their lead to 9-13. Though Maya scored a kill with a quick set from Emma to bring the score to 10-13, Sacred Heart finished the match 10-15 with a final kill down the sideline.
“The third set in volleyball is all about serve receive and who wants it more,” Ward said. “Our serve receive was okay, and [Sacred Heart] wanted [the win] more. This is a really good team, and we haven’t experienced this level of competition yet.”
Aarya reflected on the team’s mindset after their loss, explaining that staying positive sets the tone for the rest of the season.
“After losing a game, especially this being our first loss, you notice how people respond to it,” Aarya said. “Everybody on the team had a really great attitude and was really supportive after the loss. There’s no blaming. There was no getting down on yourself.”
The team holds a record of 7-1 and will play Menlo at Harker on Tuesday.
