Doubling down: Ellensburg's Alana Marrs second member of family to make Oregon State University pledge

So, how did Ellensburg High School to-be junior Alana Marrs celebrate making a decision Thursday to attend Oregon State University on a volleyball scholarship?

After recently getting her driver's license, she got to make her first solo five-hour trek from central Washington to Corvallis, Oregon.

"Following mom (Cara)," Marrs said. "It's the first time I have driven it by myself. It's been good. I kind of enjoy it. It goes by a lot faster than in the passenger's seat."

One of the exciting elements of the 6-foot-4 middle blocker's verbal pledge to the Beavers - it means that two siblings will play different sports for the same Pacific-12 Conference university.

Last year, Gavin Marrs signed with OSU men's basketball, and just moved to campus a couple of weeks ago.

"Honestly, I had no intention of going to the same school as Gavin," Alana Marrs said. "It was not on my radar. But when (OSU) coaches called, it ended up being the school I liked the best."

Up until the summer, Marrs said she wasn't sure which sport she would pursue in college - volleyball or basketball.

In her two seasons with the two-time Class 2A girls basketball champions, Marrs has not lost a game. She also plays in the Northwest Blazers club program, and had offers from Portland, Montana State and Eastern Washington University.

But once she started talking to OSU volleyball, things moved fast.

"For volleyball, it moves ... a lot faster, and they want a decision in a week. They give you deadlines. It's kind of crazy," Marrs said.

For the upcoming fall, Marrs becomes a prominent fixture in the Ellensburg volleyball lineup now that three-time 2A CWAC player of the year Abby Harrell and UW basketball signee Olivia Anderson have graduated.

"I will have a bigger role here," said Marrs, who has been part of two state-tournament squads in volleyball. "We've got quite a few underclassmen who should pick up the slack."

And now that she has made a decision for college, and will be around her older brother a lot more - will her twin brother, Garrett, want to join them?

"We secretly hope he is on a beach in California somewhere (for college) so we can visit," she said.