This story was submitted by Harker parents Jennifer Smith (Weston, grade 9), Binnur Kurtlar-Mesic (Aydin, grade 9) and Dylan Steeg (Nathaniel, grade 8).

During the last week of June, several Harker students and recent graduates traveled to Orlando, Fla., to participate in the Amateur Athletic Union Boys Junior National Volleyball Championships, the sport’s premier youth event. AAU brings the best teams from across North and South America to compete for their respective clubs.

Adrian Liu ’24 competed with Bay to Bay’s 17-1 team, winning the gold medal and the title of tournament MVP. Aydin Mesic, grade 9, won gold and was named All-Star All-American in the 14 Premier division, competing with the Bay to Bay 14 Premier team.

In the 13 Club division, ninth grader Weston Smith and eighth grader Nathaniel Steeg both won gold as members of the Bay to Bay 13 Premier team, winning the tournament with an 11-0 record. Steeg also received the All-Star and AAU All-American Awards.

Other notable results from Harker students who competed at AAU included:

Edis Mesic ’24, Bay to Bay 18-1, 10th place 

Kyle Johnson ’24, Bay to Bay 18-1, 10th place 

Jacob Smith, grade 12, Mountain View Volleyball Club 17 National, tied for fifth place

Topaz Lee, grade 11, Mountain View Volleyball Club 16 Red, tied for 11th place

Brandon Labio, grade 10, Bay to Bay 15-1, second place and silver medal

Luke Xing, grade 8, Mountain View Volleyball Club 13 Red, tied for fifth place

“It is so awesome to see both current and future Harker boys volleyball players competing at such a high level on the national stage,” said Harker volleyball coach Mason Tufuga. “Big tournaments like these create special memories and it is exciting to watch our boys contribute to their different teams so positively. It was an honor to witness Adrian Liu’s senior tour of successes, and I feel lucky to have had the chance to work with someone so emotionally intelligent.”