![“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 faltered against St. Ignatius 4-14 in the CCS quarterfinal match at Woodside High School on Saturday.
St. Ignatius won the swim-off and opened the first quarter with strong defensive pressure, leaving the Eagles with few opportunities to break through. After the Eagles missed a shot, the Wildcats capitalized on gaps in Harker’s defense to bring the score to 0-1. St. Ignatius advanced toward Harker’s goal, but center defender Alana Brill (12) swiftly intercepted a pass and charged across the pool, scoring Harker’s first point and tying the score 1-1.
The Wildcats continued to push past the Eagles’ defense, scoring three more goals. Despite multiple goal attempts from Harker, they ended the first quarter trailing 1-4.
St. Ignatius opened the second quarter with a penalty shot, giving them a 1-5 lead. Harker passed the ball to create several close goal opportunities, including utility player Anoushka Madan (11) and Alana’s attempts narrowly missing the cage. While the Eagles successfully blocked several of St. Ignatius’ shots, the Wildcats managed to score one more goal, closing the second quarter 1-6.
Field player Alrisha Chen (10) noted the team’s preparation for this match both inside and outside of the pool.
“Over the last week, we reviewed our defense by doing many drill practices,” Alrisha said. “We went over all of our plays to make sure everyone knew each one. We also watched game film from one of St. Ignatius’ past games to identify their strong players and defensive and offensive tactics.”
St. Ignatius secured the swim-off again to begin the third quarter. After receiving a pass from Alana, field player Isabel Yang (10) applied pressure with another shot attempt but failed to push past a Wildcat defender. St. Ignatius responded with three consecutive goals for a 1-9 lead. Wildcat field players blocked several of Harker’s attempts, but Anoushka capitalized off of a gap in St. Ignatius’ defense to bring the score to 2-9. With 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter, St. Ignatius responded with another goal, extending their lead 2-10.
Goalie Jasmine Hansra (12), who could not play due to a injury, highlighted the team’s strengths despite having fewer substitutes than their opponent.
“This year, we shrunk by a solid third of our team,” Jasmine said. “A lot of this season was getting to know the new players and making strategies that fit our new skills. We did pretty well in changing how we played based on their knowledge of us. When we stole the ball, having a quick reflex to go back up the pool and knowing when to pass and when to shoot was working well.”
To start off the fourth quarter, Harker won the swim-off and Alana nearly scored. St. Ignatius continued to challenge the Eagles’ defense with several goal attempts, scoring two goals to extend their lead 2-12. Alrisha powered through the Wildcats’ defense midway through the quarter to earn Harker’s third goal. Then, St. Ignatius converted a penalty and scored another goal, bringing the score to 3-14. With four seconds remaining, Alrisha scored the final goal, closing out the game 4-14.
Despite the tough loss, field player Tvisha Ganesh (11)’s mother Madhura Nataraju emphasized the team’s positive attitude in this match and throughout the season.
“We played really hard, fought really hard, and did not give up until the last second,” Nataraju said. “I saw so many positives and improvements through the course of the season. The sheer number of shots on board, the good team dynamic and chemistry, everything has improved so much. It’s not the end we wanted, but I’m happy for the girls and their journey through the season.”
The varsity girls water polo team concluded their season with a league record of 10-7, finishing third in the Santa Clara Valley – DeAnza Athletic League, and an overall record of 15-12.
