Benedictine University celebrates homecoming this week, but the majority of BenU athletic teams will be on the road. Volleyball, both soccer teams, and men's golf will all compete on the road, while football and both cross country teams compete at home. Here is a look at this week's upcoming action:

FOOTBALL (2-2, 0-1)

Saturday: vs. Aurora (1-3, 0-0), 1 p.m.

The Spartans and Eagles have been traditional rivals in every sport, with some of the rivalry's best games coming on the football field. Another chapter was written last year, with Aurora defeating BenU in a 41-30 shootout. The Eagles trailed 28-7 early in the second quarter and almost completed a comeback behind three passing touchdowns from Cyle Schultz to Chris Schultz.

This time around, the Eagles will once again have to deal with a high-powered Spartan offense. Aurora is coming off of an 84-41 win over Maranatha and has put up an impressive 133 points in the last two contests. A big reason why is sophomore running back Jake Apple, who has totaled 285 yards and six touchdowns over those two contests. He is tied with BenU's Michael McNulty for the NACC lead with seven touchdowns and trails only him in rushing yards per game.

VOLLEYBALL (11-10, 5-0)

Friday: at Marian (6-15, 1-3), 7 p.m.

After starting the season 4-0, Marian has struggled mightily since. The Sabres have gone just 2-15 over the past 17 games, but one of those wins came in the team's last contest on Saturday. Marian defeated NACC foe Alverno 3-1, winning three straight sets after dropping the first set 25-17. BenU has not lost a match against Marian since the conference was formed in 2006, and has won each match in straight sets aside from a 3-2 win in 2008.

Saturday: at Lakeland (14-10, 3-1), 2 p.m.

After a Friday night match, volleyball will come right back on Saturday for another NACC Wisconsin road match at Lakeland. The Muskies have played well of late, winning seven out of ten and the last two conference matches against Concordia-Wisconsin and Wisconsin Lutheran. The team's play has been propelled by setter Brittany Reindl, who leads the conference in assists per set at 10.11. Lakeland hasn't missed the conference tournament since 2010, but Benedictine has defeated the Muskies in straight sets in all four meeting between the schools the past three seasons.

MEN'S SOCCER (5-4-1, 4-0-1)

Wednesday: vs. North Park (7-3-1), 7 p.m.

The Eagles take a break from conference play to take on North Park on Wednesday night at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex. Coming out of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, the Vikings are a regional power and are currently on a five-game winning streak. The Eagles and North Park have each played a couple of common opponents in Dominican and Concordia-Wisconsin. Both teams defeated Dominican, the Eagles defeated CUW, and the Vikings tied CUW.

Saturday: at Milwaukee School of Engineering (7-1-3, 4-0-0), 1 p.m.

Saturday figures to be one of the biggest games of the year for the Eagles, as MSOE is one of the toughest teams the NACC has to offer. Thus far, the Raiders have allowed just one goal in conference play and have outscored opponents 17-1 in those matches. The team's only loss of the year was a 2-0 non-conference defeat to North Park on September 6, whom the Eagles will face on Wednesday night. BenU hasn't earned a point against MSOE since a 1-1 tie back in 2008.

WOMEN'S SOCCER (4-7-1, 2-3-1)

Tuesday: at North Park (3-5-1), 7 p.m.

Like men's soccer, women's soccer will also break from conference play to take on North Park this week. The teams have two common opponents in Rose-Hulman and Concordia-Wisconsin this season. Both teams fell to CUW, BenU fell to Rose-Hulman, and North Park tied Rose-Hulman 0-0. The Vikings have been able to spend the past two weeks at home, having not played a road match since a 2-1 win at Wisconsin-Platteville on September 25.

Saturday: at MSOE (5-6, 3-1), 3:30 p.m.

Women's soccer will take on MSOE after the conclusion of the men's game. The Raiders have used an explosive offense to start conference off on a high note, outscoring opponents 17-4 and scoring over five goals in games against Rockford (8-0 win) and Wisconsin Lutheran (6-1 win). Also, the Raiders are in the midst of a busy schedule, with two games last week and two games against Alverno and Maranatha before taking on the Eagles on Saturday. BenU has not defeated MSOE since a 1-0 win back in 2010.

CROSS COUNTRY

Friday: at Benedictine University Eagle Invitational, 4:00 p.m.

It's BenU's turn to host a cross country meet on Friday, as both the men's and women's teams will host the Benedictine University Eagle Invitational at St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville starting at 4:00 p.m.

The Eagles also hosted a meet at St. James Farm last year. The men's team placed seventh out of 13, while the women's team placed fifth out of 12. In the meet, Julie Carroll led BenU with a 23rd place finish and a then-personal record. The men's team saw nine members set personal records in that meet as well.

MEN'S GOLF

Sunday and Monday: at Northern Athletics Conference Collegiate Championships, 12:00 p.m., 9:00 a.m.

Men's golf will play the first two rounds of the biggest competition of the year this coming Sunday and Monday, as the team will compete at the Northern Athletics Collegiate Championships. The two rounds will take place at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, as the final two rounds will take place in April at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora. Last season, the Eagles finished eighth in the event.