Anvekar Living a ‘Dream’ at NYU

^{First published in the Jan. 20 print issue of the San Marino Tribune.}

For some, life in America’s biggest city during a pandemic might be considered daunting, but 2021 San Marino High School graduate Leela Anvekar finds the whole matter invigorating.
A freshman at New York University, Anvekar is a member of the Violets women’s volleyball team, which this past fall wrapped up what was called by the university’s website a “dream season” during which it won its first-ever University Athletic Association championship and received the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division III tournament’s Hoboken Region. NYU finished the season with a 28-2 overall record, 9-1 in the UAA. The Violets advanced to the regional final before they were defeated by Trinity University (Texas) in four sets.
Anvekar appeared in six matches for NYU; she recorded nine kills against only one error in 20 attacks for a solid .40 percentage. During an early season win over Hunter College, Anvekar amassed five kills without an error for a .556 marker.

The 6’1” Anvekar plays the middle blocker position, battling three teammates (including two seniors) for playing time. She is relishing the experience.
“Living in New York City has been a dream of mine since middle school so it’s really surreal that I get to live there and play volleyball,” she said. “I love it so much. The team was so welcoming from the moment I arrived on campus and it really is like having a built-in family.”
While at San Marino High School, Anvekar was named to the All-Rio Hondo League first team as a junior and a senior and earned second-team honors as a sophomore. In a display of her versatility, she was also named by coaches as the best offensive player and best defensive player. Away from school, Anvekar played at San Gabriel Volleyball Club, eventually advancing to the elite level.
The daughter of Drs. Alexis and Madhu Anvekar, Leela has two brothers. Dhilan is a 2019 graduate of SMHS and is studying pre-law at USC, while Jayan is a sophomore at SMHS, where he plays football and baseball. Leela might follow Dhilan into the law profession and is currently enrolled in NYU’s liberal studies program and is considering an emphasis in sociology or psychology.
“I love all aspects of NYU, social and academic,” she said. “All my professors are super fun and I’ve loved all my classes so far.”