RAPID CITY, S.D. – After a Division II best season, the Hardrocker Volleyball team flush with returners and looking to continue its momentum on the floor and on the recruiting trail has announced the addition of two student-athletes who will join the roster for the 2024 campaign with Sara Hinson and Maria Bouman officially being announced by Head Coach Lauren Torvi Prochazka.
"I'm really stoked about this freshman class," said Prochazka. "These two athletes will bring immediate impact to our gym and represent our program as top-notch people and teammates."
Maria Bouman is a local athlete as she joins the program from Spearfish, South Dakota, where she attended Spearfish High School. Bouman is a multi-sport athlete as she was a member of the women's basketball team and a track & field athlete and won the state championships in the 400m, however she was a volleyball standout as a middle.
A four-year member of the varsity team, Bouman hardly left the floor during her junior and senior seasons, playing in 181 sets and averaging .7 blocks per set as a junior and 1.1 as a senior. On the offensive side, Bouman averaged two and three kills per set in her final two years, while hitting a phenomenal .323 in her senior season. Maria played club for the Black Hills Juniors.
"Maria is a stud athlete who has a glass ceiling of potential and with her combination of size and speed, I know she will do great things for us in the middle," said Prochazka.
Sara Hinson comes to South Dakota Mines from Concord, North Carolina where she attended Jay M. Robinson High School. In High School, Hinson played as an opposite and as a setter. Playing in just under 100 sets between her junior and senior seasons, Hinson hit over .200 in each of those years and converted on 2.8 kills per set in her final season. The service line was also dangerous for opponents as Hinson averaged .3 and .5 service aces per set.
Hinson played for Carolina Union Volleyball Club (2019-21), High Rock Volleyball Club (2021-22) and Queen City Volleyball Club (2022-24), where she helped her team to Nationals in 2023.
"Sara is a true leader at heart and someone who I think will elevate our setting position right away," said Prochazka. "She's fast, smart, and has the same type of grit that Ellie and Kiley bring everyday."
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About South Dakota Mines
South Dakota Mines is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 13 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
