By Danny Brady
Transfer outside hitter Richard Eber Jr. has fit seamlessly into the Springfield men’s volleyball culture and has played a key role in the team’s early season success.
“It feels like I have been here longer than I have at times. My teammates and coaches have pushed me to improve and encouraged me to learn from my mistakes everyday and I have gotten really close to them because of it.”
Unlike most collegiate athletes, Eber Jr. didn’t play organized team volleyball until his first year of high school.
“I was originally a big baseball player but when my sister started getting into volleybalI, I was forced to go to the open gyms with her,” Eber Jr. said. “Eventually the more I went, the more I found it fun and interesting.”
Eber Jr. attended Lower Dauphin High School in Pennsylvania, where he decided to focus his athletic career on volleyball. Even though he wasn’t the best instantly, he enjoyed playing the sport.
“Freshman and sophomore year, I was still learning the game,” Eber Jr. said. “I was on JV but it was a good learning experience both on and off the court and I still loved it either way.”
During his junior year of high school, Eber Jr. decided to give club volleyball a shot. He joined a local team called Prevail and the experience helped prepare him for his junior season.
“It was an eye-opening experience,” Eber Jr. said. “I got the chance to play high-level teams from all around the country, and that helped me improve my game tremendously.”
Eber was looking forward to using his club volleyball experience at the high school level but all of a sudden COVID hit, and his junior season was completely cancelled.
“I was in the training room before practice during the first week of the season when I got the news that school was shutting down, Said Eber Jr. “I was happy I didn’t have to go to school, but I was devastated that there was no season. We had a good team with a lot of potential that year.”
Going a year without high school volleyball wasn’t ideal but Eber Jr was committed to making the most of his final season. Many gyms were not open or had limited capacity so Eber Jr. found other ways to stay in shape.
“I did a lot of at-home workouts to stay active and do what I could with what was available, ” said Eber Jr. “Thankfully, club season wasn’t canceled that year. Even though we had to play wearing masks, returning to playing on a team in a match-like environment against various competition was a huge help.”
During his senior year, his high school team had no expectations and minimal varsity experience. Despite this, Eber Jr. and his team stepped up and led Lower Dauphin to a 22-2 record, the winningest season in the school’s history at the time.
Lower Dauphin’s excellent record allowed them to host their high school district finals game and the school lifted the COVID capacity limits for the match, resulting in a sold out crowd for the game with both student sections overflowing.
“It was the loudest and most intense match I’d ever experienced,” Eber Jr. said. “Playing in that match is my fondest volleyball memory.”
Lower Dauphin ended up winning the district title in a five set thriller by a score of 18-16 in the final set. Later in the year, they went on to win the PIAA 2A State Championship over defending champion Meadville in four sets.
Because of his on-court success during his senior season, Eber Jr. garnered widespread interest to play collegiate volleyball, including from Springfield, but Division I St. Francis (PA) stood out to him during his high school recruitment process.
“At the time, I saw [St. Francis] as a nice fit,” Eber Jr. said. “It was close to home, had the physical therapy program I was looking for, and I liked the campus and the people that were there on my visit.”
Eber Jr. had a great experience off the court at St. Francis.
“It was a special place that I still think about a lot,” Eber Jr. said. “I met a lot of great people and I made some lifelong friends there.”
Unfortunately, Eber Jr.’s athletic experience at St. Francis wasn’t as fulfilling, and volleyball started feeling more like a burden than an enjoyable activity. He appeared in just five total matches during his three years at the school.
“I didn’t fit the team culture,” Eber Jr. said. “I fell out of love with the game and there were times where I was close to quitting.”
Deciding whether or not to transfer was a mental battle for Eber Jr., but he ultimately decided to put his name in the portal after his junior season.
“I loved [St. Francis] outside of volleyball, but I knew I had a lot more to give as a player somewhere else,” Eber Jr. said.
Springfield was already on Eber Jr.’s radar while he was in the portal because the school recruited him out of high school and he had already met head coach Charlie Sullivan on an unofficial visit.
“When I saw [Eber Jr.] in the portal this summer, I immediately reached out to him,” Sullivan said. “I knew he was an awesome player.”
Shortly after Sullivan reached out, Eber Jr. was able to talk to him on the phone and decided to commit to Springfield as a senior with two years of eligibility remaining.
“I wanted to go somewhere with a good culture, reputation, and a strong exercise science program,” Eber Jr. said. “Springfield checked all of those boxes for me.”
As soon as Eber Jr. arrived on campus, he was able to improve his mentality and his game, which was something that he struggled with during his three years at St. Francis.
“When I got here, [Sullivan] worked with me a lot,” Eber Jr. said. “My head coach at St. Francis didn’t put that much effort into me so it was much easier for me to buy in here. He’s a big sports psychology guy, and he’s taught me a lot of things about confidence, mental processes, and imaging in your head.”
While the mental facet of his game is still a work in progress, Sullivan is confident that Eber Jr. has what it takes to make it a strength and take his game to the next level.
“He’s already great so I know that once he gets his mentality fully straight, he’s going to be phenomenal so it’s a really important step for him,” Sullivan said.
Eber Jr. has been at Springfield for a short time, but he has already been able to fit in and contribute quickly. Over his first 12 games with the team, he has amassed 36 kills, 30 digs and 55.5 total points.
“He has done what every guy on our team has done this year and that is to be more competitive, have a good attitude, and have good communication,” Sullivan said.
Along with Eber Jr.’s individual success, the team has thrived as well. Springfield is off to an 11-2 start, good enough for a fourth overall ranking in the latest Division III AVCA Coaches Poll. The team’s strong culture has been a crucial factor.
“This team is one big family and we strive for excellence together,” Eber Jr. said. “Everyone is bought in and competes really hard regardless of where they are on the depth chart. My teammates and coaches have been very supportive, patient, and helpful. That has made it much easier for me to adjust to the new team and system.”
As the Pride reach the halfway point of the season, they are in a position to compete for a National Championship, but they know that to reach that point they need to continue to take it one step at a time.
“Everything we’re doing starts with being mentally tougher,” Sullivan said, “We want this team to be special, and in order to be special we need to be mentally strong so that’s what we’re working on right now.”
While Eber Jr. knows that he needs to be more consistent with his own mentality, he is optimistic about himself and the team.
“Bringing the natty back to Springfield is the ultimate goal,” Said Eber Jr. “In order to attain it, we need to improve every match and see what new strides we can make as a team every day.”