Jason Ruppelt was named Washington State women’s volleyball assistant coach in February of 2024 after spending the previous nine seasons at Northern Kentucky, including the previous five as associate head coach.
Ruppelt’s experience at the Division I level spans 17 seasons from multiple stops around the country dating back to his time as a student assistant at his alma mater, South Dakota State University. He brings years of experience as a recruiting coordinator, while specializing as a defensive coordinator, responsible for training pin players and serve-receive in his previous role as associate head coach at NKU.
Having been a part of the Norse’s women’s volleyball program for nearly a decade, Ruppelt was a part of149 wins with six-consecutive winning seasons (2018-23). Ruppelt’s time at NKU included trips to the Horizon League Semifinals or better every season he was with the Norse. Those postseason runs consisted of trips to the finals in four of the last six seasons highlighted by a 2019 Horizon League Tournament Championship and a ticket into the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Ruppelt was responsible for recruiting numerous all-conference performers which includes the program’s all-time leader in block assists, Abby Kanakry, and two student-athletes, Ashton Terrill and Anna Burke, who are in the top-five in career digs at NKU.
Ruppelt’s recruiting class received High Honorable Mention honors from PrepVolleyball.com in 2017 and had an incoming 2018 class ranked in the top-55 of the nation. The Norse also held a PrepVolleyball.com honorable mention recruiting class under Ruppelt in 2020.
Before his tenure in Highland Heights, Ky., Ruppelt spent eight years on the sidelines at the Division I level, including stints at the University of Louisville and South Dakota State. Ruppelt assisted with video breakdown, scouting reports, and on-court training as a volunteer assistant with Louisville. The Cardinals won the American Athletic Conference championship behind a perfect 18-win conference season. While coaching at Louisville, Ruppelt also spent time as a club coach for the Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy where he led two separate club teams, oversaw KIVA Showcases evaluating multiple age divisions and ability levels, and hosted specialized training for high school and junior elite club teams camps along with individual skills lessons.
Ruppelt got his start in college volleyball as a student assistant at South Dakota State where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 2010. At SDSU, he spent time as a practice player and team manager, before eventually serving as the team’s video coordinator after being promoted to graduate assistant coach for the Jackrabbits in 2011. Ruppelt was instrumental in academic support for the SDSU program, helping the Jackrabbits achieve a 3.63 GPA during his final year on campus.
A native of Springfield, S.D., Ruppelt also earned his Masters of Education from South Dakota State University, finishing his master’s program in 2016. He makes the move the Palouse with partner Luis and golden retriever, Sadie.
