Richmeyer, Bryant enter NEC tournament in winningest Division I season - with an added factor

The Bryant University volleyball team enters the Northeast Conference tournament with numerous Division I program-firsts to its name – the Bulldogs' first 20-win season, their first NEC regular season co-championship and an 11-3 mark in NEC play, just to name a few.

Many factors go into a successful season, not limited to talent, chemistry, health and quality coaching. All of those have been at play through the first 32 matches of Bryant's 2017 campaign.

For junior Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.), there is an intangible factor that has helped in the Bryant middle blocker raising her game to another level in 2017: a lucky headband.

"I started wearing the headband junior year of high school," said Richmeyer. "I used to wear a green one, but I switched to the patterned one because we had a string of bad luck. It was very successful, so I continued it through club and college."

Combining a talented, experienced Bryant team in 2017 - one that has six starters who have played together for three seasons - with a little bit of luck, and the result has been a new level for both Richmeyer and the Bulldogs.

Richmeyer is one of two Bulldogs to play in all 120 sets entering the conference tournament, and her presence in the front row has been integral to the Bulldogs' success. The 6-0 junior has 0.98 blocks per set on the year and has elevated her game in conference play, with a 1.18 blocks per set total that ranks second in the NEC.

The emergence of Richmeyer in the middle has helped fuel a dramatic improvement in blocking for Bryant in 2017. After ranking last in the NEC a year ago with 1.68 blocks per set, the Bulldogs rank third in the conference this year at 1.98 and have jumped more than 80 spots nationally. Richmeyer has not been alone in that rise, as seniors Ally Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) and Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) and junior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) have all raised their blocking averages from a year ago.

Bryant has also had its share of dramatic victories in 2017. The Bulldogs have come back to win four times this season after dropping the first two sets, including a victory over Syracuse and an improbable magic act at Sacred Heart in October, in which Bryant came back from down 24-19 in the third set to take it 32-30 and win in five. The Bulldogs would do it again to the Pioneers on Bryant's Senior Day earlier this month.

The selection of the headband was not as scientific as Bryant's improvement at the net. Richmeyer picked it quite arbitrarily.

"I don't remember where I got it," said Richmeyer. "I remember I liked the patterns, it was kind of fun and it stood out from plain jerseys so I just went with it."

Bryant enters this weekend's NEC tournament as the No. 2 seed, finishing in a three-way tie with LIU Brooklyn and Central Connecticut for the regular season title. The Blackbirds – the defending champions – will host, while the Bulldogs and Blue Devils will square off Friday looking to advance to Saturday's final.

At stake for Bryant this weekend is a first since moving to Division I in 2008 – an NEC title and trip to the NCAA tournament – as a tremendously successful Division II program looks to add another chapter to its legacy in the Bulldogs' new era.

Richmeyer and her teammates will be well-prepared when they take the court Friday in Brooklyn, but the Bryant junior will make sure she has a little extra help as the Bulldogs vie for an NEC crown.

"I'll absolutely be wearing the headband," said Richmeyer.