BG tested by top talent at Prospect
The Prospect Fall Classic girls tennis meet on Saturday was filled with some of the state's best teams and players.
Facing some of that tough competition brought out the best from Buffalo Grove's top singles and doubles slots.
The doubles team of seniors Ashton and Heather Nisbet took second in the No. 1 doubles bracket, losing the championship match to Hinsdale Central's Anne Lombardi and Julia Quintero 6-4, 6-0.
"There were a lot of great teams here and everyone played really well," Ashton Nisbet said. "It was nice to compete with them."
Hinsdale Central always boasts one of the toughest teams in the state. The Red Devils are gunning for their fourth consecutive team state title this season.
"They're really good," Ashton Nisbet said of the final match against Lombardi and Quintero. "We were just exhausted. It was a really long day. I don't know if we've ever had a tournament this long. I wish we could have come in (to the final) with more energy. I hope we can play them again sometime."
At No. 1 singles, Buffalo Grove junior Nell Boyd finished in third place, with her only loss coming to Hinsdale Central's Hannah Mar in the quarterfinals.
"She's incredibly good," Boyd said of Mar. "I did my best. I played my game, but she still just took care of me pretty good."
Mar is one of the top players in the country, let alone the state, and won the meet title at first singles when opponent Hanna Yu of Glenbrook North was forced to retire with an injury. Yu was leading the match 7-5, 2-1 when she had to retire, though.
Boyd bounced back from the loss to Mar by defeating New Trier's Alana Peters 6-1, 6-0 in the third-place match.
"Overall I thought I played pretty good," Boyd said. "I just played well. I played my game. I was pretty good today, I guess."
The Bison took sixth in the 15-team field. Of the five teams finishing ahead of them, four (Hinsdale Central, Deerfield, Loyola, New Trier) were in the Top 10 of last year's state meet.
"You want to play the best player's before the state tournament," Buffalo Grove coach Kevin Schrammel said. "You want to get a little preview of what everyone else has to offer. It's as much mental as anything. So putting yourself in that mentally tough position as much as possible is going to make you stronger."
Buffalo Grove has just one dual meet remaining (Thursday at Hersey) before the Mid-Suburban League meet begins on Oct. 8.
"This meet does a great job of setting us up for the conference meet," Heather Nisbet said. "The girls who play here are just unbelievable. There's a lot of great competition. Having this before conference really helps us prepare. I love having this meet right before conference."
There were some other area players that turned in solid finishes, too.
Prospect's Anne Duggan finished in sixth place at No. 1 singles and Hersey's Andrea Perkins took seventh. Mary Clare Loughery and Kim Martini of Rolling Meadows finished in seventh at No. 1 doubles and BG's Allie Wieland landed in seventh at No. 2 singles.