Bills Honored by Heartland Conference (9/6/06)

BILLINGS, MT – Montana State-Billings volleyball player Natalie Bills has been named the Heartland Conference setter of the week.  It is the second player of the week award for an MSU Billings player this year.  Nicole Kruse was the defensive player of the week last week.

Bills, a senior setter from Provo, UT, led Montana State-Billings to a 3-1 record at the Hampton Inn Classic at Fort Lewis College last weekend. She posted three double-doubles for assists and digs. For the week the Yellowjackets had a team attack percentage that was 43 points higher than their opponents' (.174 to .131).  The Yellowjackets’ only loss for the week was a 3-2 loss to 18th-ranked Seattle Pacific. In the final match of the tournament, Bills handed out a career-high 66 assists and picked up a career-high 22 digs in a 3-2 upset of previously unbeaten Fort Lewis.

The Yellowjackets play at the Heartland/Lone Star Crossover Tournament this weekend in Wichita Falls, TX.  They will face Central Oklahoma, Texas A&M-Commerce, and Southwestern Oklahoma.  MSUB will remain in Texas to play at University of Texas-Permian Basin next Monday and Tuesday.