Buffalo Grove's Nisbets claim bittersweet title
Winning a title is usually an exhilarating experience.
But the emotions of Buffalo Grove seniors Ashton and Heather Nisbet were tempered a bit after Friday night's doubles championships of the Mid-Suburban League badminton tournament at Elk Grove.
It wasn't just another match against anyone else for the No. 1 doubles crown. That was evident by the post-match group hug the Nisbets shared with their coach Chris Van Grondelle and his daughters Katie and Maggie of Palatine.
"They're two of our best friends," Heather Nisbet said after teaming with Ashton for a 14-21, 21-19, 21-19 win over the Van Grondelles.
"It's bittersweet, I'm not going to lie," Ashton said. "We always look forward to playing them and they support us and we support them. It's tough but it's always fun."
The Nisbets, the defending state doubles champions, won their first MSL No. 1 title after winning the No. 5 title as sophomores. They lost last week to the Van Grondelles, who were sixth in state last year.
"They push us to the limit," Heather Nisbet said. "They've improved so much from last year."
Senior Katie Van Grondelle battled through a migraine headache that hit her after the first match with her sophomore sister Maggie.
"We always have competitive matches with them," Katie said. "Even in open gyms or in practice during the summer.
"It's an awesome match to play in and they're great competitors."
Neither duo had an easy semifinal. The Nisbets edged eventual third-place finishers Selina Imamaura and Ayaka Yoshinari of Conant 19-21, 21-16, 21-17 and the Van Grondelles beat Fremd's Alice Liu and Annie Huang 21-12, 23-25, 21-9.
BG won three of five doubles titles to take a 23-21 edge on three-time defending champion Fremd going into today's singles competition.
The two teams split their four title matches. BG's Nell Boyd and Michelle Byjos beat Claire Lee and Jackie Tiangco at No. 2 and Molly Jackson and Kelsey Kob beat Carolyn Buesing and Steph Kim at No. 4.
Fremd's Erica Lee and Carlita Shen beat Deanna Guyton and Ulana Kuryluk at No. 3 and Katie Morton and Shannon Fitzgerald beat Jenny Krewer and Jane Seo at No. 5.