ELSAH, IL – We are pleased to announce the official hire of
Alana Hinson as Principia College's Head Volleyball Coach.
Hinson served as the program's interim head coach for the last 18 months while she was a graduate assistant at Principia. After the team had to suspend their season in 2024, Hinson has already begun to rebuild the program with a growing roster of quality recruits. The Panthers completed a 12-match JV season last fall and earned their first victory since 2019. The team will compete in a full varsity season this coming fall before rejoining conference play in 2027.
On top of leading the volleyball program, Hinson had also served as an assistant coach for the Principia women's basketball team for the last two seasons after a four-year playing career with the Panthers. During those two years, she helped lead the WBB program to the NCAA tournament in 2025, followed by a SLIAC regular season title in 2026.
Athletics Director Ramiro Dominguez says: "As a Principia College graduate, Alana embodies the values and standards we strive to uphold, and over the past year she has demonstrated tremendous growth – not only as a coach, but as a leader and role model for our student-athletes. Her commitment to developing the whole person, her passion for the game, and the culture she continues to build within our program make her the right person to lead us forward. As we prepare for an exciting new chapter with our return to the SLIAC in the fall of 2027, I couldn't be more confident in Coach Hinson's vision and the direction of our volleyball program."
Hinson says: "I am so blessed and incredibly grateful to continue to work with the women on our volleyball team. This is a program that I care deeply about and that has such a rich history at Principia College. I am excited to build on our last season and bring PCVB back to its competitive standard!"
