Growing up in a family where basketball ruled the court, Alana Marrs never expected to make her name in volleyball.
Yet one year into her Oregon State University career, the freshman middle blocker from Ellensburg, Washington, has become one of the Beavers’ brightest stars, leading the team with 220 kills, a 0.361 hitting percentage, and a freshman program record 104 blocks.
“I actually hated volleyball when I first started,” Marrs said with a laugh. “My mom made me play because a family friend — the Central Washington head coach — told her I’d be good. I guess she was right.”
Before college, Marrs balanced basketball and volleyball seasons in her hometown, playing club ball for Central Region United and high school hoops on the side. Though basketball offers for college rolled in early, she realized volleyball was where she felt most at home.
“I enjoyed it more,” she said, “basketball will always be in my family, but volleyball was what I wanted to pursue.”
Her recruiting journey eventually brought her to Corvallis, the same place her brother, Gavin Marrs, plays for the OSU men’s basketball team. Despite early reluctance about attending the same school as her brother, OSU’s coaching staff and team dynamics did win her over.
“It’s funny because the only time I’d been here before committing was to drop my brother off for school,” Marrs said. “But once I met the coaches and saw the culture they were building, it just felt right.”
That instinct seems to have paid off. Marrs burst onto the NCAA scene, earning West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-Conference, and multiple weekly honors, recognition she attributes to her teammates and setters.
“Being a middle, you rely so much on everyone else, the passer, the setter, the defense,” she said. “Our team’s success [in those areas] allowed me to showcase my skills.”
Those teammates she is referring to include First-Team All-Conference outside hitter Lauren Rumel, Second-Team All-Conference opposite Annika Hester, All-Conference Freshman team opposite Maeli Cormier and everyone else on the 2025 roster.
One of her favorite memories from the 2025 season came during the ASICS Invitational in Gill Coliseum, when the Beavers swept through three home matches to claim the title. She also points to the early-season win over Boise State, a turning point after an away game loss that signaled her team’s potential in the season.
“It was one of those games where everything clicked,” she said. “The gym was packed, and it just felt like, ‘Okay, this is who we are’.”
The transition to college volleyball, and to life as a student athlete, came fast. Marrs arrived in Corvallis early, joining the team for the spring term before her fall as a freshman. The extra months, she said, made a big difference.
“I didn’t feel like a freshman this year,” she said. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
Off the court, Marrs unwinds by reading mystery and historical fiction, or hiking around Washington and the Pacific Northwest, often inspired by her brother’s nature photography business.
With her debut season already making history, Marrs and the Beavers now look to build on their 19-win campaign, the most wins in a season since 2017 and the best winning percentage in the rally-scoring era, as they move into their new Pac-12 play schedule. Marrs is confident their foundation will be stronger than ever.
Her advice for aspiring college athletes is simple but earnest: commit fully to it and embrace the challenge.
“If you want to do it, don’t hold back,” she said. “It’s hard, but it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do.”
