GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The Eastern Washington University volleyball team embarks on its final road trip of the 2016 regular season this week, as the Eagles will make the long trek to North Dakota and Northern Colorado. EWU will face the Fighting Hawks this Thursday (Nov. 3) before challenging the Bears on Saturday (Nov. 5).

The Eagles will look to get back on track this weekend after dropping a four-set match against rival Idaho last Friday (Oct. 28) at Reese Court. Eastern enters this week of play at an even 6-6 through 12 Big Sky matches, while they are 11-10 overall this season.

It will be tough sledding for Eastern on its final road trip of the regular season, as they face the top two teams in the North Division. North Dakota currently leads the North and they are tied for the league's best record in conference play at 10-2 through 12 Big Sky matches. Meanwhile, Northern Colorado is currently a game behind the Fighting Hawks in the North Division standing with a 9-3 mark in conference games.

Last Time Out

The Eastern Washington University volleyball team had its three-match home winning streak snapped on Friday (Oct. 28), as they fell to Idaho 3-1 (21-25, 16-25, 26-24, 00-25) in Big Sky Conference action.

All-Time Series

North Dakota: UND claims an 8-1 advantage in the brief series against Eastern. North Dakota has won five-straight matches against EWU, which includes a four-set victory at Reese Court on Sept. 30.

Northern Colorado: The Bears hold a 15-8 advantage in the all-time series against the Eagles. UNC will be looking for the season sweep of Eastern, as they knocked off EWU in four sets in Cheney back on Sept. 29.

Looking to End Strong

Eastern looks to end the 2016 regular season road schedule on a high note, as the Eagles look to knock off the top two teams in the Big Sky North Division. EWU is currently 3-6 in true road matches, and have dropped three of its last four contest away from Reese Court.

Tournament Push

Eastern Washington is currently in a tie with Portland State for the No. 6-seed of the Big Sky Volleyball Championships. The Vikings hold the tiebreaker over the Eagle thanks to a five-set victory over EWU back on Oct. 20.

The two teams are currently two games ahead of the No. 8-seed, which is being occupied by both Idaho and Weber State. North Dakota and Northern Arizona are fighting for hosting rights, as both teams are 10-2 through 12 league games. The two teams will meet on the final week of the regular season for a match in Flagstaff, Arizona next Thursday.

The Heir Apparent

Sophomore setter Regan Harr has shined since the Eagles switched to a 5-2 setter formation. The setter has handed out double-digit assists in six of the last seven matches, which includes three matches of 20-plus assists. She has also shined on the defensive end, as she has collected six matches with double-digit digs to earn six double-doubles in the last seven matches.

Improving Her Game

Sophomore Jessica Gilbert has stepped up her offensive performance of late, as she has collected three double-digit kill matches in the last four contests. The Modesto, California native is coming off a 14-kill night against Idaho last Friday, while she also hit .321 against the Vandals.

Conference Rankings

The Eagles are still sporting the second-best opponent hitting percentage in the Big Sky, as they are limiting teams to just a .164 hitting percentage. Eastern currently ranks sixth in the conference in digs-per-set at 16.15, while they are seventh in blocks-per-set at 1.92.

Senior setter Sophie Miller ranks third in the conference in aces-per-set at 0.37, while she is also 10th in the Big Sky in assists-per-set at 7.76.

Knowing Your Opponents: North Dakota

The Fighting Hawks enter this week on a four-match winning streak that's pushed their overall record to 19-9 this season. UND currently leads the Big Sky North Division by a game over Northern Colorado with a 10-2 mark through 12 league games.

UND is third in the conference in hitting percentage with a .221 clip. Senior Chelsea Moser leads the team, and is fifth in the conference, in hitting percentage at .340, while sophomore Jordan Vail is eighth in the league with a .305 success rate. Tamara Merseli leads the team in kills with 274 on the year, but she is tied with Moser for the team lead in kills-per-set, as both sport a 2.66 average.

North Dakota is also third in the conference in opponent hitting percentage, as teams are hitting .176 against them. The Hawks are second in the Big Sky in both digs-per-set (17.14) and blocks-per-set (2.66). Junior Faith Dooley ranks third in the conference in blocks-per-set at 1.21, while freshman Alivia Fraase is third in digs-per-set with her 4.72 average.

Knowing Your Opponent: Northern Colorado

The Bears are just one game off the pace of North Division-leading North Dakota entering the second-to-final week of the regular season. UNC has won two-straight matches to improve to 15-9 overall, while they are tied with Sacramento State for the third-best record in the conference.

Northern Colorado boast the second-highest hitting percentage in the conference, as they are hitting .224 on the year. Sophomore Emily O'Neil paces the Bears in hitting, as she sports a .324 hitting percentage, which is sixth-best in the league. Sophomore Kortney Lockey leads the team in kills-per-set at 3.25, which is the seventh-highest average in the Big Sky.

Teams are hitting .198 against the Bears this season. They are averaging 16.36 digs-per-set, which is the fifth-best total in the conference, while also putting up 1.71 blocks-per-set. Senior Makenna Meier leads the team in digs with her 4.38 digs-per-set average.

For more information on the Eastern Washington volleyball team, follow @EWUVolleyball on Twitter or like EWU Volleyball on Facebook.