Riding a two-match win streak, the Eastern Washington University volleyball team is preparing to hit the road for the final time during the regular season. The Eagles first stop in Missoula, Mont., for a match against Montana on Thursday, Nov. 4. First serve is set for 6 p.m. Pacific time. It's then on to Bozeman, Mont., for a rematch against Montana State at 11 a.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 6. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Winners of three of its last five matches, Eastern Washington is coming off of a 2-0 weekend that saw wins over Northern Arizona (3-1) and Southern Utah (3-0) at home. The victory over NAU snapped a six-match skid to the Lumberjacks, and senior setter Lindsey Russell earned her first career Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week award after dishing 9.14 assists per set and hitting .923 with 12 kills over two matches.
 
Currently, the Eagles are 10-10 overall with a 6-6 mark in conference play. Having all but officially qualified for the Big Sky Tournament in two weeks, EWU is seventh overall in the conference standings.
 
Right behind Eastern is Montana, who is 9-13 overall and 4-8 in Big Sky play. The teams last clashed on Oct. 9 where EWU won 3-2, in fact, the Eagles have won four-straight over the Grizzlies, all coming in five sets at Reese Court. In Missoula, however, the Eagles have lost three-straight and are looking for their first road win since Sept. 22, 2016.
 
In the win over Montana, four Eagles posted double-digit kills led by Sage Brustad with 18. Lindsey Russell also had a double-double of 45 assists and 13 digs.
 
As a team, Eastern Washington ranks second in the Big Sky with 1.77 aces per set and have had 11-or-more aces in seven matches this year. They hit at a .188 clip with 11.9 kills per set while adding 13.8 digs per set.
 
Three Eagles average over two kills per set in Maya McClellan (2.70), Sage Brustad (2.18) and Ashlyn Blotzer (2.38). Blotzer is second in the Big Sky in hitting percentage with .322, and Lindsey Russell is seventh overall in assists per set with 7.12.
 
Montana State has qualified for the conference tournament, and are 11-12 overall and 7-5 in Big Sky play. The Bobcats are coming off two-straight losses at home against Montana (3-2) and to Northern Colorado (3-0) and will host Idaho on Thursday night before taking on the Eagles.
 
The Eagles will look to snap a six-match losing streak to Montana State on Saturday, and a win would be the first in Bozeman since Sept. 24, 2016. The last overall win came on Sept. 23, 2017 in five sets.
 
Following this slate of matches, Eastern Washington closes the regular season at home in a unique Tuesday and Friday match format. First, EWU looks for its third-straight win over the Idaho Vandals on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. at Reese Court. Then, it's on to Senior Night against Northern Colorado on Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. Prior to the match, Eastern will honor four seniors in Ashlyn Blotzer, Maya McClellan, Lindsey Russell and McKenna Russell. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.