TOP ATHLETE OF THE PAST 30 YEARS: CAROLINE COURTNEY (BARTLESVILLE)

By Mike Tupa

Dec. 10, 2025

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.

This is an ongoing series highlighting, each few days, one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.

Today's Spotlight

CAROLINE COURTNEY (Bartlesville)

Multiple sports (mid-to-latter 2000s)

It’s tempting to believe that such incredible hitters in recent years as Mia Otten and Emry Brown elevated to the plateau as the best outside hitters in Bartlesville High School volleyball history.

But a handful of others deserve that same status, not the least of which is Caroline Courtney.

Her impact on Lady Bruin spikerdom was Herculean.

In the year before her arrival as a full-time force on varsity, the Lady Bruins struggled through a 2004 campaign rife with adversity.

But with the emergence of Courtney, Bartlesville volleyball made a dramatic U-turn. During her junior season (2005) —which also coincided with Tom Williams as the new head coach — Bartlesville burst to a 25-20 record. The next year, the Lady Bruins seized a regional championship and appeared in state.

Courtney went on to play four years at Texas Tech, where she molded herself into a star on the court and a superstar in the classroom.

Listed at anywhere from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-2 in different publications — and endowed with flowing blond hair that added to the spotlight — Courtney was a towering presence during her high school career.

About her, one newspaper writer observed: “When she wasn’t scraping the polish off gym floors with her blistering kills, Courtney was cutting the heart out of opposing defense with her jump-serve missiles or bending her body every way but upside down to make eye-defying saves.”

It should be noted, Courtney and her 2006 teammates also became the first varsity team to play in the newly-built Bruin Fieldhouse.

Her volleyball achievements at Bartlesville — including her signature jump power serve — are the stuff of which legend is built:

— She delivered 13 kills, 19 digs and hit on 16-of-17 serves in a near upset in 2005 of powerhouse Tulsa Union.

— In 2006, she rang up 23 kills, nine digs and a service ace in a sweep of Sand Springs that improved Bartlesville’s home record to 7-0 in the new fieldhouse.

— Bartlesville had struggled on the road in 2006, but Courtney set up a huge win at Catoosa with some incredible stats — 23 kills, 14 digs and five service aces.

— She also sparkled at Ponca City with 17 kills, nine digs and six aces as Bartlesville improved to 22-8.

— In a close loss to Jenks in 2006, she hammered 15 kills and made a serving ace.

Bartlesville finished up the 2006 campaign with a surge to only its second or third regional title in team history.

In the regional semifinal, Bartlesville outlasted Ponca City in five sets. Courtney served the match point.

The Lady Bruins then faced Owasso in the regional final and won in three sets. 

In the second set, Courtney’s ace put Bartlesville up by 10, 21-11.

The Lady Bruins won the third set on a service ace by Courtney for match point.

The Lady Bruins — who finished 10-1 at home during that historic 2006 season — lost in the first round of state to Edmond North. But, not for a lack of effort by Courtney — she made 22 kills.

Courtney also would be invited that year to play with the Team Tulsa volleyball Club in the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Championships held in Minneapolis, Minn.

In addition to volleyball, Courtney also stretched her legs in track. During the 2007 Frontier Conference championships she burst to eighth place in the girls 300m hurdles. Earlier in the season she placed fifth in the girls 300m hurdles in the Ponca City meet.

As a Bartlesville junior she had orally committed to play for Texas Tech.

She proved quickly to be a valuable part of the team’s arsenal.

As a senior at Tech (2010), Courtney played in nearly every match. She delivered a 17-kill performance against Texas State. She also racked up eight kills against Oklahoma and seven digs against Texas A&M.

In her junior season, she registered seven kills against Nebraska.

As a freshman (2007), she averaged almost two kills per set, including 15 kills against Syracuse. She also made four blocks against Oklahoma.

Courtney joined an elite group in 2008 as one of only five student-athletes in the Big 12 that had earned a 4.0 grade point average. She would be named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

It’s been a few years since Courtney suited up for the Lady Bruins. But the energy and direction she brought to the program created a momentum that has continued since.

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Caroline Courtney

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This series has featured the following athletes, listed in no particular order.

-Jena’ Williams, Bartlesville

-Eric Rolfs, Bartlesville

-Chris Smith, Caney Valley

-Jill Bryan, Copan

-Barron Tanner Jr, Bartlesville

-Hailey Tucker, Bartlesville

-Jeremy Dunkle, Dewey

-Whitney Metcalf, Bartlesville

-Tim Hamilton, Bartlesville

-Danielle Koster, Bartlesville

-Carson LaRue, Dewey

-John Hamman, Wesleyan Christian

-Jamie Elam, Caney Valley

-Sam Mitchell, Bartlesville

-Karissa Jones, Dewey

-Noah Hartsock, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Paper, Copan

-AJ Parker, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Eden, Caney Valley

-Henry Williams, Bartlesville

-Markell Carter, Bartlesville

-Rebecca Schluter, Wesleyan Christian

-Adam Hibdon, Barnsdall

-Tishuana Hunter, Nowata

-Nate Alleman, Bartlesville

-Jessie Burch, Dewey

-Joey McNair, Caney Valley/Bartlesville

-Michael Thompson, Bartlesville

-Kate Steward, Bartlesville

-Jarrett Rouse, Community

-Amanda Warehime, Bartlesville

-Trey Osborne, Dewey

-Heather Lanphear, Barnsdall

-Erin Epperson, Bartlesville

-Levi Wyrick, Caney Valley (Kan.)

-Spencer Magana, Dewey

-Jackie Jo Chaney, Copan

-Haley Downey, Bartlesville

-Cooper Fogle, Caney Valley

-Amanda Brown, Copan 

-Rachel Smith, Pawhuska

-Casey Cassity, Barnsdall

-Stacy Cornforth, Bartlesville

-Gabby Higbee, Dewey

-Kirby Schoenthaler, Bartlesville

-Tyler Kay, Barnsdall

-Colton Penrod, Bartlesville

-Erin Herchock, Dewey

-Lindsey Collins, Caney Valley

-Nathan Hughes, Bartlesville

-Aaron Hunt, Copan

-Calan Crowder, Bartlesville

-Colby Kohlmeyer, Caney Valley

-Allison Hunt, Copan

-Stephen Garrett, Dewey

-Brett Turowski, Bartlesville

-Hayley Bryan, Copan

-Kaitlyn Ritchie, Bartlesville