BILLINGS, Mont. – After being selected as the latest inductees to the Montana State University Billings Hall of Fame and Distinction, former volleyball star Natalie Bills and women's basketball standout Alira Carpenter were enshrined among Yellowjacket all-time greats in a ceremony at the Billings Hotel and Convention center on Friday evening.
 
Bills was introduced by her former coach Pa'ulasi Matavao, and Carpenter by her former coach and current MSUB women's basketball head coach Kevin Woodin.
 
"Among the thousands of Yellowjacket student-athletes who have come before you and for the many thousands more yet to come, it is truly an honor to welcome Alira and Natalie as the newest members of the MSUB Hall of Fame tonight," said MSUB director of athletics Krista Montague. "We are truly proud of the way you have represented MSUB athletics both during your careers as players and in the commitments you have made to your communities since graduating. It is our pleasure to present this honor to you and we are glad to know the Yellowjacket spirit will live on within you for years to come."
 
Local KTVQ sports news anchor Scott Breen served as the master of ceremonies for the event, recounting memorable moments from the respective careers of both Bills and Carpenter. MSUB chancellor Dr. Mark Nook also made congratulatory remarks, as did Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president Aubrey Conceicao (softball) and vice president Cameron Lee (men's soccer).
 
"We as current student-athletes are grateful for those who came before us and are thankful for the example you have set for us," Conceicao said.
 
"The first thing I think about are all of those who have helped me along the way, and my parents have always been my greatest support system," Bills said during her speech. "MSUB was the perfect choice for me academically, and many of my teammates continue to be my best friends today. I would like to thank Coach P for seeing something in me, and without the opportunity to play for you I would not be the person that I am today. At MSUB, I was able to play a sport that I loved at a school that set me up for a career that I am now passionate about."
 
Bills currently serves as a counselor at Alkali Creek Elementary School in Billings, and also coaches freshman volleyball at Billings West High School.
 
Carpenter recalled her early experiences at MSUB, from the time she verbally committed to Coach Woodin through a four-year career that culminated in a school-record 2,000 points.
 
"I am so incredibly honored to be receiving this award tonight, and to have been a part of Yellowjacket Sports," Carpenter said. "Thank you for selecting me to join all of the other great athletes in the Hall of Fame."
 
Carpenter personally paid tribute to her father, mother, and grandfather, who were all in attendance, attributing her success as a player to their tireless efforts and commitment towards her development.
 
Bills was a member of the MSU Billings women's volleyball team from 2003-2006. She was part of the 2005 team that finished 20-8 on the year and reached the Heartland Conference tournament championship match.
 
In 2006, the MSUB team ended the season 26-5 and 10-0 in the Heartland Conference. The Yellowjackets were the regular-season Heartland Conference winners as well as the Heartland Conference Tournament Champions beating St. Mary's (Texas) 3-0 for the title. The team then traveled to the NCAA Division II Southwest Regional Tournament, winning its first game against Western New Mexico 3-0.
 
Bills was part of the only MSU Billings team that has reached the NCAA regional tournament. She is No. 2 all-time in assists at MSUB with 3,782 and No. 2 all-time in service aces with 160. Her name appears four times on the single-game records and six times on the MSUB single-season records.
 
She made the single-season top-10 at MSUB three out of four years on both assists and service aces. Bills was a two-time all-Heartland Conference first team selection, and an honorable mention pick her sophomore season in the PacWest Conference.
 
The all-time leading scorer at MSUB, Carpenter finished her four-year career as a Yellowjacket with exactly 2,000 points. Her 700 made field goals and 294 made 3-pointers are also both career records, and Carpenter is the all-time leader in free-throw percentage at 88.3 and is second in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.3.
 
Her senior season, Carpenter was selected as a CoSIDA third-team all-American, and a first-team State Farm all-region pick. She was also a two-time NCAA Division II second-team all-region selection, a two-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference first-team pick, a Heartland Conference first-team pick, and the 2005-06 Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year.
 
A two-time team captain, Carpenter also earned numerous academic awards including CoSIDA first-team all-region honors in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
 
Bills and Carpenter became the 148th and 149th members of the MSUB Hall of Fame, which inducted its inaugural class in 1990.