Ducks Welcome Crownover, Vîrlan to Eugene
12/30/25 | Women's Volleyball
The volleyball team's second and third transfer signees in December.
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon head coach Trent Kersten has announced the signings of veteran setter Marina Crownover and middle blocker Dalia Vîrlan. Crownover just completed her redshirt junior season in the SEC at Missouri while Vîrlan comes to the Ducks from Pitt with two years of eligibility remaining.
Marina Crownover
5-11 | Setter
Austin, Texas (Missouri)
Crownover amassed more than 2,100 assists and had 24 double-doubles in two seasons at Missouri. In 2024, she was named to the All-SEC Second Team and AVCA All-Central Region Team after dishing out 10.85 assists per set which ranked 15th in the country. This past season, Crownover was fifth in the SEC with 965 total assists and seventh at 9.37 assists per set.
The Austin, Texas, native was a three-time SEC Setter of the Week during her time in Columbia, and helped lead Mizzou to the NCAA regional semifinals last season. Crownover set the Tigers to a .300 or higher hitting percentage in 15 matches and established career highs of 61 assists last season against Arkansas and 21 digs this past September at No. 15 TCU.
Crownover, who averaged 10.12 assists per set over two years at Mizzou, began her collegiate career at Texas where she was a member of the back-to-back NCAA champions in 2022 and 2023. After a redshirt freshman season, she played in 11 sets during the 2023 campaign.
Kersten Says…
"The best setters don't chase attention but instead, they make everyone else fly. Marina has a feel for the game, a presence in big moments and a competitiveness that fits perfectly for what we're building at Oregon."
Dalia Vîrlan
6-4 | Middle Blocker
Brasov, Romania (Pitt)
Vîrlan spent the previous two seasons at Pittsburgh where she appeared in 23 matches, was a two-time national semifinalist and comes to Eugene with two years of eligibility remaining. She recorded three or more blocks in seven matches, and tallied a career-high 8.5 points against Ohio this past September with five total blocks, four kills (.333) and two service aces.
The Brasov, Romania, native made her collegiate debut against Long Beach State in a neutral-site match (Aug. 2024) played at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene. She had four blocks and two kills in that match. Vîrlan carries a career best of five kills (.571) from this past season against NC State.
Prior to her freshman season, Vîrlan competed at the 2023 European Championships where she played with Romanian national team that finished in 11th place. She was also on the junior team that was sixth at the 2021 FIVB U18 World Championships in Mexico. Vîrlan was also named Best Middle Blocker from the 2022 and 2023 Romanian Junior Championships and the 2022 BVA Cup.
Kersten Says…
"Dalia brings elite size, international experience and a proven NCAA track record into our gym. She's been part of two Final Four runs and understands the standard required to play deep into December. We're excited to welcome her to Oregon and can't wait to see her impact next fall."
Crownover and Vîrlan are the Ducks' second and third transfer signees to go along with the addition of Sjakkie Donkers, a 6-2 outside hitter and All-WCC First Team performer this past season at Gonzaga. As part of the November signing period, the Ducks also added prep standouts Laura Eichert (OH, 6-0, Lake Stevens, Wash.), Marlena Gracia (S, 6-1, Monroe Township, N.J.), Alaina Pollard (MB, 6-0, Frankfort, Ill.) and Lizzy Robinson (DS, 5-8, Corona Del Mar, Calif.).
Oregon finished the 2025 season, its first under head coach Trent Kersten, with a 17-13 record with an 8-12 mark in Big Ten play including ranked wins against Minnesota, Purdue and UCLA.
For more news and information about Oregon Volleyball, follow @OregonVB on Instagram and X, and @OregonVolleyball on Facebook.
Marina Crownover
5-11 | Setter
Austin, Texas (Missouri)
Crownover amassed more than 2,100 assists and had 24 double-doubles in two seasons at Missouri. In 2024, she was named to the All-SEC Second Team and AVCA All-Central Region Team after dishing out 10.85 assists per set which ranked 15th in the country. This past season, Crownover was fifth in the SEC with 965 total assists and seventh at 9.37 assists per set.
The Austin, Texas, native was a three-time SEC Setter of the Week during her time in Columbia, and helped lead Mizzou to the NCAA regional semifinals last season. Crownover set the Tigers to a .300 or higher hitting percentage in 15 matches and established career highs of 61 assists last season against Arkansas and 21 digs this past September at No. 15 TCU.
Crownover, who averaged 10.12 assists per set over two years at Mizzou, began her collegiate career at Texas where she was a member of the back-to-back NCAA champions in 2022 and 2023. After a redshirt freshman season, she played in 11 sets during the 2023 campaign.
Kersten Says…
"The best setters don't chase attention but instead, they make everyone else fly. Marina has a feel for the game, a presence in big moments and a competitiveness that fits perfectly for what we're building at Oregon."
Dalia Vîrlan
6-4 | Middle Blocker
Brasov, Romania (Pitt)
Vîrlan spent the previous two seasons at Pittsburgh where she appeared in 23 matches, was a two-time national semifinalist and comes to Eugene with two years of eligibility remaining. She recorded three or more blocks in seven matches, and tallied a career-high 8.5 points against Ohio this past September with five total blocks, four kills (.333) and two service aces.
The Brasov, Romania, native made her collegiate debut against Long Beach State in a neutral-site match (Aug. 2024) played at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene. She had four blocks and two kills in that match. Vîrlan carries a career best of five kills (.571) from this past season against NC State.
Prior to her freshman season, Vîrlan competed at the 2023 European Championships where she played with Romanian national team that finished in 11th place. She was also on the junior team that was sixth at the 2021 FIVB U18 World Championships in Mexico. Vîrlan was also named Best Middle Blocker from the 2022 and 2023 Romanian Junior Championships and the 2022 BVA Cup.
Kersten Says…
"Dalia brings elite size, international experience and a proven NCAA track record into our gym. She's been part of two Final Four runs and understands the standard required to play deep into December. We're excited to welcome her to Oregon and can't wait to see her impact next fall."
Crownover and Vîrlan are the Ducks' second and third transfer signees to go along with the addition of Sjakkie Donkers, a 6-2 outside hitter and All-WCC First Team performer this past season at Gonzaga. As part of the November signing period, the Ducks also added prep standouts Laura Eichert (OH, 6-0, Lake Stevens, Wash.), Marlena Gracia (S, 6-1, Monroe Township, N.J.), Alaina Pollard (MB, 6-0, Frankfort, Ill.) and Lizzy Robinson (DS, 5-8, Corona Del Mar, Calif.).
Oregon finished the 2025 season, its first under head coach Trent Kersten, with a 17-13 record with an 8-12 mark in Big Ten play including ranked wins against Minnesota, Purdue and UCLA.
For more news and information about Oregon Volleyball, follow @OregonVB on Instagram and X, and @OregonVolleyball on Facebook.
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