Team Nisbet will turn its focus to tennis at ISU

Family ties figured to bind Ashton and Heather Nisbet with their college destination.

But the decision by the twin sisters and Buffalo Grove seniors to play tennis at Illinois State also means their dad Cam will have to become fans of his biggest college rival.

"I think he'll live," Heather said with a laugh of her dad, who is a Bradley graduate.

"He's excited and happy for us," Ashton said of what will at least be a family detente in the Central Illinois rivalry once billed for basketball as "The War on (Interstate) 74."

Not only are Heather and Ashton excited and happy but they're also surprised.

The multi-sport athletes, who are the state's reigning badminton doubles champion, figured this year might be their last of organized, team athletics.

The straight "A" students were considering Illinois State and Illinois as their next destination, with Ashton planning to study education and Heather athletic training.

But a couple of weeks after they finished sixth in the state tennis tournament, Illinois State head coach Chris Hoover got in touch with BG coach Kevin Schrammel about the Nisbets.

"We were really thinking about going to school to go to school," Ashton said. "When coach Schrammel got the call from ISU were kind of in shock.

"To know he wanted to look at us was a complete shock for both of us."

Hoover came up to meet the Nisbets and see them hit and figured they would be nice additions to a program which has won five Missouri Valley Conference titles during his tenure.

"The fact ISU was already on our list of schools to go to is really cool," said Heather, who is currently in the midst of her girls basketball season. "To have the opportunity to go to the same school and do something we wanted to do is really kind of cool."

Especially since the Nisbets have played tennis since age 4 but didn't make it their sole focus at the expense of other sports.

"It's pretty amazing that they're going to a Division I school," Schrammel said. "Usually that's saved for kids who play tennis exclusively and year-round."

And how much different will it be for the Nisbets when they have one sport to concentrate on year-round?

They're both intrigued to find out the answer.

"I'll be interested to see myself since neither one of us have concentrated on a sport for our entire lives," Heather said. "Now that we get to concentrate on one sport I think we're both excited to get to another level we've never played at before.

"I think we'll be able to do pretty well down there and we're both willing to do whatever it takes."

Doing the necessary work with style and grace has never been an issue for this season's Tom Pitchford sportsmanship award winners.

"Heather and I always strive to be the best we can be and I'm sure being around the Illinois State team will make us want to be better," Ashton said. "With all the time we're going to put into it, how much we'll improve or if we stay the same, I'm excited to see."

Considering the nature of the Nisbets the odds would be on improvement.

And their dad and mom Cindy will never have been happier to see two people competing in Illinois State uniforms.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com