Longwood University Athletics

Pierre Tafelski was named Longwood men's tennis head coach in August 2015 and has made an immediate impact on the success of the program. The 2013-14 ITA Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year, Tafelski was formerly the men’s and women’s assistant coach at Division II tennis powerhouse Hawaii Pacific University.

His first year with Longwood was highlighted by the improved team culture as he started the rebuilding process. The Lancers went 7-15 overall and saw breakout performances from sophomore Alfonso Castellano and Julian Farthing, who combined for a 38-18 singles record while playing primarily at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots, respectively. With the 14-13 record posted by Longwood No. 2 Florian Uffer, the top half of Longwood’s lineup combined for a 52-31 singles record in Tafelski’s first year.

Tafelski also received the Longwood Coach of the Year award from the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at the year-end athletics banquet. That award was voted on by members of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee who represent every athletics program at Longwood.

He followed that with a second-consecutive Longwood Coach of the Year award as well as the Big South Coach of the Year after leading his team to a program-record 14 wins in 2016-17. In that season, the Lancers saw three separate three-match win-streaks as well as their first four Big South victories and highest finish in program history. Tafelski became the third Longwood head coach to be named Big South Coach of the Year joining men's soccer head man Jon Atkinson (2013) and softball's Kathy Riley (20115, 2016).

Tafelski's quick success has turned a program completely around in just two seasons, while attracting talent such as Big South Freshman of the Year Amadeo Blasco and Arthur Bardellotto, who combined for 35 singles wins.

During Tafelski's two-year tenure, three players have collected six All-Big South accolades - highlighted by Blasco's Freshman of the Year award in 2017. Three-year standout Florian Uffer collected back-to-back All-Academic awards as well as being named First Team Singles and Second Team Doubles this past year. Blasco, who was named First Team Singles and Doubles, also became the first Lancer in program history to be named Big South Player of the Week on March 8, 2017 when he was tabbed as the conference's Freshman of the Week.

While at Hawaii Pacific, Tafelski helped guide the men's and women's tennis programs to top-10 Division II rankings. The men’s team finished the 2014 season with a 23-1 record, with its lone loss coming at the hands of top-ranked West Florida in the Division II Championship match. In addition, he led the women’s team to a 41-10 record in his two seasons with the program.

Along with his duties as assistant coach for the Sharks, Tafelski served as an adjunct instructor in physical education. He also held a stint as an assistant professional at The Oahu Club in Hawaii Kai, Hawaii.

Tafelski's collegiate career began at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas before he made the move to the Division I ranks at Mercer University. At Ouachita Baptist, Tafelski led his squad to a No. 3 ranking in Division II men’s tennis, while earning a No. 40 national ranking and all-conference honors in singles play.

During his career at Mercer, Tafelski stepped into the top spot of the singles lineup as a junior and was named first team All-Atlantic Sun as a senior in 2012. He also served as captain of the Bears in his time Macon, Ga.

A 2012 graduate of Mercer, Tafelski earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in management. He went on to obtain his Master of Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University in 2014.