Jason Ruppelt was named the assistant coach for NKU volleyball on Feb. 23, 2015 and was elevated to NKU's associate head coach prior to the 2019 season. He joined the Norse with eight years of coaching experience at the Division I level, most recently as the volunteer assistant coach at the University of Louisville.
Ruppelt has been instrumental in NKU's transition to Division I with his recruiting efforts. The Norse received High Honorable Mention from PrepVolleyball.com in 2017, and improved to Highest Honorable Mention for the 2018 recruiting class, which put the incoming freshman class within the top-55 nationally.
During Ruppelt's tenure on the staff, the Norse have reached the semifinals of their respective league tournament every year. Through the 2020 season, NKU has gone 93-70, won the 2019 Horizon League Tournament and appeared in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Ruppelt's primary responsibilities during his time at Louisville included video breakdown, assisting with scouting reports and on-court training. During his first season, the Cardinals captured the American Athletic Conference championship with a perfect 18-0 league record. Additionally, Ruppelt was a head coach with the Under-15 team at Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy, widely respected as one of the top volleyball clubs in the nation.
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A 2010 graduate of South Dakota State University, Ruppelt spent seven years working with the Jackrabbits' volleyball program, first as a student assistant and manager where he worked as a practice player and helped with camps. Upon attaining his Bachelors of Science in Mathematics, Ruppelt continued with SDSU as a graduate assistant coach. He worked as the team's video coordinator and managed the team's academics, helping SDSU to a team GPA of 3.63 in the final year of his tenure.
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Ruppelt earned his Masters of Education in Administration of Student Affairs from South Dakota State University in 2016.
