Sophomore Natasha Marks began her attempt at winning the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships this week, as she won all her qualifying matches at the Riviera Tennis Club in Los Angeles.

“”I really like the heart she has showed in this tournament,”” assistant coach Ryan Stotland said. “”She keeps improving after every match.””

Marks, the only Wildcat women’s tennis player left in the tournament, began the qualifying rounds on Tuesday by squaring off against Kayla Duncan of Texas Christian University.

Duncan took the first set of the match before Marks caught fire and won the next two sets for a final line of 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

In a late afternoon affair at the Riviera, Marks met Kristina Nedeltcheva of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, who put up an early fight before Marks rallied to win in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.

The Nottingham, England native carried her momentum into third-round play on Wednesday, when she met Amanda Granson of Duke. In a hard-fought match, it was Marks’ grit that ultimately secured the 6-4, 6-1 victory and a slot in the main draw event versus Florida’s Marrit Boonstra.

“”Granson is a tough player and Natasha had to fight for every point,”” head coach Vicky Maes said.

The main draw matches commence at the Riviera Tennis Club on Thursday and will end on Sunday, wrapping up the All-American Championships.

“”Making it through (qualifying rounds) at the All-American is a huge feat, and we hope that Natasha can pull through for a little longer,”” Maes said.