The greatest puzzle is ahead for Natali Marshall, but she is eager to try to put together the pieces.
The Eaglecrest sophomore earned a coveted spot in the Class 5A girls tennis individual state tournament by virtue of making the Region 1 final at Cherry Creek High School and now she’ll set to work on finding a way to win on the big stage.
Marshall lost in straight sets to Cherry Creek senior Anika Sharma — last season’s 5A state champion at No. 2 singles — but her semifinal win kept her out of a playback and helped her accomplish something she’d hoped to do since she fell short as a freshman.
“I was fourth at regionals last year, and only the top two go to state, so it’s been my goal to make it since last year,” Marshall said. “Even though I lost this last match, (Sharma’s) a great player, and I was using it as a learning experience. It was good preparation.”
The 5A girls tennis individual state tournament runs May 9-11 at Denver’s City Park, and Marshall will go into it with 16 wins, which puts her fourth in 5A.
That victory came in a three-set outlasting of Chatfield’s Cameron Sternberg in a windy regional semifinal that turned out to be the clincher, as Sternberg’s win in the third-place match eliminated a playback chance.
Despite the defeat to Sharma, Eaglecrest coach Dave Palmer saw Marshall hang in and raise her play as usual in the second set and make the match more competitive until the final point.
“Natali’s strength is that she’s a problem-solver, and the game is a puzzle,” he said. “The first set she was a little overwhelmed, but then she settled in and start to get games. She started to figure things out and that’s what she always does. That’s exactly what you want in any player.”
Marshall is the first Eaglecrest state qualifier since the doubles team of Maya Johnson and Kaitlin Marlier in 2016 and she is the first state-bound singles player for the Raptors since Renee Christopher in 2014.
Also going to the state tournament individually is the Grandview No. 3 doubles team of seniors Maddie Mayer and Quincy Muntean, who made it out of Region 4 in Highlands Ranch with their first state berth.
The duo played together in 2023 and lost a playback with a chance to make state and found themselves in the same situation this year. Down a set to Legend, the Wolves roared back to dominate the last two sets.
“Going to state is the pinnacle of any sport,” Mayer said. “It’s amazing to see how far the two of us have come in the last two years and I couldn’t think of a better way to end my high school career.”
Added Muntean: “We just want to go out playing our best and not making unforced errors. I’m so proud of us.”
Grandview’s first opponent will be Regis Jesuit, which will take its entire team to the individual state tournament for the second straight season under coach Jenn Armstrong.
The Raiders turned right around from a loss to Ralston Valley in the semifinals of the 5A team state tournament to dominate the Region 7 tournament.
No. 3 singles player Otylia Martino and all four doubles teams — seniors Lucy Filippini and Brenna Radebaugh at No. 1, juniors Cait Carolan and Ebba Svard at No. 2, senior Torri Loftus and junior Lily Beebe at No. 3 and senior Elise Holt and sophomore Helen Adams at No. 4 — all won regional championships to get in.
Junior Rebecca Gelfer got in at No. 1 singles as regional runner-up, while senior Mary Clare Watts won a playback to make it at No. 2 singles.
Eight of the 11 state-bound Regis Jesuit players have made it at least once previously, while it will be the fourth trip for both Watts and Filippini, who played together at No. 1 doubles in 2022. Watts was a state runner-up at No. 1 doubles last season, and she’s in state for the first time as a singles player.
Radebaugh, Svard, Carolan and Holt all earned a third career trip to state.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports