Last Sunday was a moment of celebration for the NYU women’s basketball team, something the Violets are no stranger to — they have been undefeated for 49 straight games. The team brought home the victory against Washington University in St. Louis with a dominating score of 80-46, defending its title as the top team in Division-III basketball after winning the NCAA tournament last season.
The Violets’ untouched record corroborates their strength in training, teamwork and strategy. In an interview with WSN, the players highlight the importance of treating each game as a new one, and captain and three-time UAA Defensive Player of the Year Belle Pellecchia credits this strategy to the team’s unprecedented win streak.
“Despite our great success, we all still feel a bit nervous and anxious, which are very normal and human-like responses,” Pellecchia said. “However, I also know that we have so much confidence in each other that we rely heavily on that, and we try not to let those outside pressures take over on game day.”
Meg Barber, head coach of the team, played basketball for NYU before graduating in 2002. She has been coaching for seven seasons, carrying her winning philosophy through each of them. Last season, she and her assistants received UAA Coaching Staff of the Year, 2024 USA Basketball 5-on-5 Coach of the Year and Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year. This season she decided to keep faith in her old coaching philosophies — it paid off.
“We already have great shooters,” junior Caroline Peper said. “Coach Barber’s philosophy is that she doesn’t really need to teach offense because we already have great offense players. But in order to win the game, we have to limit our opponent and how many points they score. In her eyes, defense is what keeps you on the court.”
To master the art of defense, Barber scouts out the opposing teams and replays video footage, absorbing every play and strategy so the Violets can mock the opposing team during practice. Players cite this as a way to prepare for every game and challenge their opponent’s strengths.
As the season progresses, training lessens and practice blocks become shorter. So far, the team participated in eight away games and 10 home games. When they get back from a game — no matter how far they’ve traveled — exhaustion and jet lag creep close by. Players say it’s both mentally and physically exhausting.
“The lighter practices give us time to rest and not overdo it,” Peper said. “But it’s just part of being a student-athlete. It does get easier each year, you just learn better time management skills and how to let your body recover faster.”
While away games are especially draining, players emphasize how much they bond over them. Small memories are formed over the plane ride, dinner and anticipated pep talk. Whatever little time they have left over during away trips, the athletes spend it together, creating bonds that are evident on the court.
Recently, Peper beat her own personal record two times in a row, scoring 24 points at Emory University and 27 points against Carnegie Mellon University. During her collegiate career, she has won several awards, including UAA Rookie of the Year and UAA Athlete of the Week. Peper said that she’s able to apply what she learns as a Mathematics major to the court.
“If anyone picked my brain, you’d see thousands of numbers,” Peper told WSN. “The game of basketball to me is just a bunch of numbers. I visualize fractions and percentages on the court all the time. So I definitely take a lot of what I do in math on the court.”
Pellecchia is also on fire this season. In addition to being a three-time UAA Defensive Player of the Year, Pellecchia has won multiple awards throughout her first three years, including UAA Rookie of the Year, UAA Winter All-Academic and NYU Tip-Off Classic Most Outstanding Player. As a senior, she hopes to be someone the younger players look up to.
“I’ve been reflecting a lot this year about how successful we’ve been and all the memories I’ve made with my teammates,” Pellecchia said. “I’m so happy that I ended up here at this university with this group of girls. I know it’s cliche, but I really do think everything happens for a reason, and I’m just so grateful for everything.”
The Violets look to increase their win streak to 50 when they play the University of Chicago on Friday night at the Paulson Center.
Contact Isabella Bickenbach at [email protected].
