Oregon Tech Volleyball Signs Three More Strong Players

Klamath Falls, Ore. - Oregon Tech Head Volleyball Coach Andrew Clifton has announced the signing of Courtney Isom, Ashley Ripplinger and MacKenzie Ososke to the letters of intent for the 2019 season.

"We are very excited to be signing these three very competitive and talented players," said Clifton. "They will raise the bar on this team and will bring solid play across the board. With these three, we will be gaining strong blocking and hitting at the net as well as a setter who can command the court and bring the best out of her players. Watching these athletes grow in the program will be exciting and we cannot wait to see what they can contribute starting this season."

Courtney Isom
5'10" - Setter
Hometown: Brownsville, OR
High School: West Albany
Club: North Pacific

Courtney Isom

Coach Clifton: "Courtney is a very competitive and talented setter. Her ability to lead the court and bring the best out of her teammates is impressive. She also can be very deceiving with her set selection and often gets her hitters in one-on-one situations. Courtney also has a natural ability to lead and as soon as she steps on the court, she immediately raises the level of her team's intensity. Along with her intense play, she also brings great floor defense, a strong serve and the ability to run a 5-1 or 6-2, which will give us more options in the next four years. I am looking forward to seeing what Courtney will contribute in the seasons to come."
 
Notable Info: In Courtney's senior season at West Albany High School, she helped lead her team to a 3rd place finish in 5A State Tournament. She also received Second team honors in the state tournament. Along with the accomplishments in the state tournament she also receive the All-Willamette Conference Setter Award as well as being named team captain and most inspirational player her junior and senior year. During her career, Courtney had 1,097 assists, 23 aces, 244 digs and 171 kills.
 
For club, Courtney played for the local powerhouse DSK 18-1's team her junior year. While at DSK she help propel the team to top finishes in almost every tournament. After that club disbanded, she transferred to North Pacific Juniors where she led her team in multiple areas.
 
Courtney is planning to major in General Studies and wants to peruse a career in the medical field. Her parents are Jason and Monica Isom.

Ashley Ripplinger
6'1" – Middle Blocker
Hometown: Prosser, WA
High School: Prosser HS
Club: Shockwave

Ashley Ripplinger

Coach Clifton: "Ashley is a special player whom I suspect will make an immediate impact on the team. She has the ability to hit every set and is one of the best all-around middle blockers I have seen in a long time. She has a natural instinct to close the block and her transition game is deadly on offense. When hitting she has the ability to hit all directions and always seems to make smart decisions. She an intense and focused player who gets the job done. She will make our already deep middle blocker position even deeper. We are all looking forward to working with Ashley and cannot wait to see her shine the next four years."
 
Notable Info: At Prosser High School her senior year Ashley was named Central Washington Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year and posted the top kills and blocks in the conference as well. In 2018, Ashley was selected to the Washington All-State team as an Honorable Mention. She received First Team All-League her junior and senior year. She finished her senior season with 337 kills and 161 blocks.
 
In club, Ashley played for the completive club Shockwave VBC in the Mid-Columbia Region. Her club team has consistently finished at the top of their division the last two seasons and got third place in the very competitive Las Vegas Classic Tournament this last February.
 
Her parents are Mike and Laura Ripplinger.
 
Ashley will be a Renewable Energy Engineering major and wants to help transition the world off oil and coal sources and encourage individuals to reduce their carbon footprint.

MacKenzie Ososke
6'3" – Opposite
Hometown: Beaverton, OR
High School: Beaverton HS
Club: T.E.A.M. Hiki No

MacKenzie Osoke

Coach Clifton: "MacKenzie is a great pick up for us. She is a big blocker with a ton of potential as a lefty on the right side. She will bring diversity and strong net play to that side of the court. With her height and ability to hustle, she will grow in the program and push an already deep right-side position. Her ability to play and hit in different positions will give us deception and the ability to move players around as needed. She will bring a competitive drive to the team and should raise our ability to be more dominate at the net for years to come. We look forward to seeing MacKenzie grow in the program and cannot wait to see her become a dominate force for Oregon Tech in years to come."
 
Notable Info: At Beaverton High School her senior year she was named to the Metro League Honorable Mention team. She was also a 3-year varsity letter winner during her time player for BHS.
 
During club season, MacKenzie played for well-known Oregon clubs such as Athena VBC, Oregon Juniors VBC and Team Hiki No. In her junior year, she was a member of the USA High Performance National Training Program as well as a 3rd place finisher at the Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament.
 
MacKenzie will be a Biology-Health Science major at Oregon Tech and wants to be a veterinarian in the future.
 
Her parents are Mark and Megan Ososke.