Correct, generally Marriott does not status match; however on a case by case basis they will do a challenge but most of those have been for people who are SPG Platinum if I remember correctly. Call back and inquire about a challenge. They will require you to submit copies of your stay history with SPG and then may offer you some type of challenge.

Before doing so you may want to do a search on "challenge" to see what others experiences were in this regard. I am sure you will find an abundance of useful info much faster than waiting for the right people to read your post and reply. Good luck.