LaFountaine and Fox lose close match in NCAA Tourney quarterfinals

Dan LaFountaine '09 (left) and Nate Fox '09 (right) concluded stellar men's tennis careers at Grinnell College by losing a hard-fought match in doubles quarterfinal round play at the NCAA Division III National Tournament Saturday, May 23, in Claremont, Calif.Jamie Neely and Oscar Pena of Bowdoin slipped past the Pioneer duo by a score of 7-5, 7-6 (4) to move into Saturday night's semifinals. LaFountaine and Fox finished the 2009 campaign with a record of 30-4."I was really pleased with the way our guys competed today," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "Twice in today's match they had to fight back after being down in each set. In the second set they were down 4-5 and tied it up to really put pressure on a very good team. In the end, the match could have gone either way. There were very close games throughout, but the Bowdoin players just scored a few extra points in important times."Hamilton not only praised his players, but the outpouring of support they received. "For these guys to know Grinnell tennis fans and Grinnell alumni have watched from a distance their performance at nationals is great," said Hamilton. "The outpouring they've received from all types of people connected to Grinnell after the guys' first victory on Friday was heartening. It's also good to know that people recognize what quality young men these guys are and what they've done for our program."