On Monday, it was announced that volleyball associate head coach Jason Ruppelt is moving on from Washington State University. Ruppelt spent two years with the Cougars, helping head coach Korey Schroeder lead the team to a 33–23 overall record. Information about the next chapter of his volleyball coaching career has not been publicly disclosed yet.
Ruppelt was Schroeder’s first addition to the coaching staff upon becoming the head coach in 2024. Ruppelt worked with Schroeder to develop key players, such as Lucie Blažková and Tinons Munar Galmés. Plus he helped recruit young talent like Eliana Ti’a, Maddy Joswick and Livia Ward. He also made an NIVC Tournament appearance in 2024 with the Cougars.
Before coming to Pullman, Ruppelt accumulated 17 seasons of Division I coaching experience.
He coached at Northern Kentucky University from 2015 to 2023. He was an assistant coach for the Norse from 2015 to 2018, before being promoted to associate head coach prior to the start of the 2019 season.
At NKU, Ruppelt racked up 149 total wins, including six-consecutive winning seasons from 2018 to 2023. Every season he was on the coaching staff, the Norse made the Horizon League Tournament semifinals or better. The Norse made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019 as well.
Prior to NKU, he received eight years of experience on the sidelines at the Division I level at the University of Louisville and South Dakota State University. He was a volunteer assistant at Louisville, mainly helping out with video breakdown, on-court training and scouting reports. In 2013, he was part of the coaching staff of a Cardinals squad that went 18–0 in conference play and won the ACC championship.
Ruppelt was a student assistant and manager before becoming a graduate assistant coach with SDSU prior to his stint at Louisville. He worked with the Jackrabbits for seven years.
He also coached club volleyball for the Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy, a nationally-respected club volleyball program, while working at Louisville.
However, he is now the second coach from Schroeder’s coaching staff to leave in the past two weeks. Kristin Watson left on Feb. 18 to join the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
When Schroeder became the Cougars’ head coach, he had to hire a whole new coaching staff. Now, only one of his original three hires is set to be on the coaching staff for the 2026 season: assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Cassie Krieger.
