The 2022 Fall Schedule is set for Eastern Washington volleyball, as the team prepares to take the court in head coach Jon Haruguchi's first season.

Haruguchi was hired in March after being an assistant and associate head coach at the University of Northern Colorado the past six seasons. Haruguchi built his coaching staff with former Utah State head coach, Grayson DuBose, and former Big Sky All-Conference selection, Taylor Muff.

 "We're very excited about the upcoming season. We had a great spring and now we're ready to get after it in the fall," said Haruguchi. "We've got a nice balance of opponents that should prepare us well for the rigors of the Big Sky Conference." 

The fall slate opens for Eastern on August 17^th with an exhibition against Central Washington at Reese Court.

The Eagles will then be on the road for the next month, playing in four tournaments. Eastern will head to Memphis, Tenn. for three matches in the Memphis Tournament. Central Michigan will be the first official regular season match for Haruguchi on August 26^th at 7 a.m. Pacific Time, followed by Southern University at 2 p.m. later that day. The tournament concludes against the host, Memphis, on August 27^th.

A week later, the Eagles fly to Brookings, SD for two matches against South Dakota State on September 2^nd and 3^rd. The tournament is hosted by the Jackrabbits.

Eastern's third tournament will take them down to Boise, Idaho for three matches. On September 9^th, the Eagles will take on former Big Sky foe, Southern Utah, at 11:30 a.m., followed by a match against Butler at 6 p.m.. Boise State will be Eastern's final match of the tournament on September 10^th.

The Eagles will take the short drive up I-90 to play Gonzaga on September 13^th at 6 p.m. for a mid-week matchup.

The final non-conference contests for the Eagles will be in the Stephen F. Austin tournament, where the team will play three matches. Eastern battles Arkansas State on September 16^th at 12 p.m. and then a quick turnaround against host, Stephen F. Austin, at 6 p.m. The team's final non-conference match will pit them against Texas A&M University-Commerce on September 17^th.

Big Sky play begins on September 9^th against Montana State in Bozeman. Eastern's regular season and home opener will be against Portland State on September 24^th at 7 p.m.

After a road trip to play Idaho on October 1^st, the Eagles will host three-straight conference matches. The team will play Weber State on October 6^th, Idaho State on October 8^th, and Idaho on October 15^th.

Eastern will then have road test against Northern Arizona(October 20^th), followed by a matchup against Haruguchi's former team and Big Sky defending champion, Northern Colorado(October 22^nd).

A two-match home stand against Montana and Montana St. will take place on back-to-back nights, October 27^th and 28^th.

The Eagles have four matchups on the road before coming home for the final home slate. The road contests include Idaho St. (November 3^rd), Weber St.(November 5^th), Sacramento State(November 10^th), and Portland St.(November 12^th).

The final home matches will have Eastern take on UNC on November 18^th. The season concludes with senior night against NAU on November 23^rd at 12 p.m.

Moving to the postseason, the 2022 Big Sky Tournament will be in Ogden, UT and take place November 23^rd through the 26^th.

Haruguchi will have 15 returning players from the team that qualified for the Big Sky Tournament last season. Junior Sage Brustad is the top returning scorer, recording the third most kills(170) and the second highest kills per set average(2.13). Lindsey Russell returns for her senior season after leading the Eagles with 7.17 assists per set and ranking second with 179 digs. Eastern will also benefit from sophomore libero, Makenna Collins, returning after leading the team with 3.06 digs per set and 245 total.