The 2022 season came to a close for Eastern Washington volleyball on Wednesday (Nov. 23) as they fell in the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals to Portland State. Eastern entered the tournament as the seventh seed and lost to the second seed Vikings, 3-1 [12-25, 25-23, 23-25, 17-25]. The Eagles end the season with an 11-18 overall record and 6-10 in conference play.
 
Sage Brustad led the team with 10 kills and had 13 digs. Lindsey Russell played her final game for the Eagles, recording 35 assists and 12 digs.

"I'm so proud of what this group has done this season. It's not an easy life for a student-athlete. They are pulled in so many different directions and this bunch really made this team and the program a priority," head coach Jon Haruguchi said. "We had a very nice first season together and laid the groundwork for great thing to come. Preparation for 2023 starts tomorrow. For now, I'm going to enjoy the 2022 team as long as I can."

Out of the gate, Portland St. asserted itself against Eastern with an 8-2 lead. The Vikings would extend the lead out to 12-4, before Sadie Bacon fired in a kill for the Eagles. Portland St. continued to score at-will and Eastern's offense could not match the production. The Vikings stayed in control and won the set, 25-12, and were leading the game 1-0.

The Eagles struggled with a .000 attack percentage and Portland St. hit .333 in the first set.

Eastern fought back in the second set, opening with a 5-3 lead behind kills from Alyssa Radke and Sage Brustad. Renata Lopez Morales stepped into the action, getting a kill, an ace and a block to keep the lead for Eastern. The Eagles were up 12-9. After the game tightened up, Lopez Morales provided two kills to bring the lead to 19-15. Eastern would build a 22-17 advantage off another kill from Lopez Morales. The Vikings mounted a comeback, going on a 5-1 run to tie the set up at 23. Bacon would break the tie with a kill and now Eastern had a chance to tie the game. Brustad delivered the kill and the Eagles won set two, 25-23, and the game was tied at one.

Eastern stepped up its offense, hitting .189 with 15 kills. Portland St. had a .105 hitting percentage.

Starting the third set, Eastern again had the early advantage with a 4-1 lead behind kills from Lopez Morales, Brustad and Radke. Portland St. surged back with a 5-0 run to take the 6-1 lead. The next three points went to the Eagles, with Sadie Bacon getting two blocks. The teams traded points, but the Vikings would string three together for a 12-9 lead. Portland St. kept the pressure on and its lead went to 18-11. With kills from Radke and Brustad, Eastern snapped off a 4-0 run to get the set back in striking distance at 15-18. The swings were working for the Eagles, and they would tie the Vikings at 21 to start a race to 25. The teams tied at 22 and 23, with Eastern getting kills from Lopez Morales and Bacon. Following an Eagles' service error, Portland St. recorded a clinching block and they won the third set, 25-23, and they had a 2-1 lead in the game.

For the third set, Eastern hit .200, while the Vikings had a .171 attack percentage.

Portland St. would return to its first-set form in the fourth set, racing out to a 7-3 lead. The Vikings looked to prevent the game from going five sets and continued to add to its advantage. The Eagles attempted to build a comeback with Brustad swinging well and Lopez Morales remaining aggressive at the net. Portland St. countered every push from Eastern, extending the lead to 17-9. The Eagles made a late charge, cutting the lead down to 22-16, as Brustad and Katie Fleck provided the kills. Portland St. did not let Eastern get any closer and closed out the fourth set with a 25-17 win.

Eastern Washington had a .108 hitting percentage in the game and Portland State was at .209.

Key Statistics
In the game, Eastern and Portland St. tied 17 times, with nine of them occurring in the third set. There were four lead changes, three happening in the third set.

With her 35 assists and 12 digs, Lindsey Russell recorded her 11^th double-double of the season and will finish her career with 18 total. Russell surpassed 2000 career assists and will walk away with 2013 total at Eastern.

Sage Brustad posted her sixth double-double of the season and her second-straight double digit dig game.

The teams matched in blocks with 9.0 apiece. Renata Lopez Morales led the team with five total, getting two solo and three assists.

Lopez Morales would also lead the team with three aces in the game. The senior added eight kills and had a .316 attack percentage in her final game for the Eagles.

Sadie Bacon earned eight kills and had four total blocks, with two solo and two assists.