New league, same culture: Talawanda boys tennis embraces SWBL challenge
After the team’s dominant 2025 season finish, new challenges and opportunities are already being undertaken by players.
This story was produced by Miami University journalism students Aubrey Sess and Carleigh Wissel in partnership with The Oxford Free Press.
After winning the three-school Southwestern Ohio Conference (SWOC) last season, the Talawanda boys tennis team makes the jump to the larger Southwestern Buckeye League (SWBL) this spring.
Nate Silberstein, boys tennis head coach, described this year’s competition as “much stiffer,” but believes the team’s culture of confidence and family to guide them through the new challenge.
“I like to keep the players confident and loose,” Silberstein said. “I think that is when we play our best tennis. It’s not so much about wins and losses, but just playing the best you can, staying loose and taking it match by match.”
Talawanda dominated its league in 2025
Last season, players Ari DelVecchio and Connor Pulaski took over first doubles, winning the SWOC with an overall record of 10-2. Now returning as seniors, DelVecchio and Pulaski look to lead the team by challenging underclassmen to grow while also encouraging upperclassmen to remain confident.
“It’s really important to play people who are better than you to get better,” said DelVecchio. “Playing against the upperclassmen is a great way to hit against someone who can challenge you in a way that’s not a competitive environment, but a learning one.”
Raising the stakes
Talawanda’s returning players look to build on their championship season as they transition to a larger conference. Though the SWOC included fewer schools, the team has faced strong out-of-league opponents in recent years and believes experience will prepare it for the move.
The Talawanda Brave enter a larger 13-team conference this spring, joining the SWBL’s Southwestern division. With new opponents across the lineup including defending division champions Oakwood and Bellbrook, the adjustment will test the team early.
Andy Page, a returning sectional qualifier, said familiarity with new opponents, like former SWOC rival Ross, provides stability.
“Connecting has helped improve our game,” Page said. “We really know who we are playing with and that builds our confidence for matches.”
Senior captain Pulaski plans to lean into his coach’s advice for success.
“It’s the game of tennis that it always has been,” Pulaski said. “Stay loose. Have fun.”
Team traditions and culture remain
While the conference shift has created much change for the program, the boys still rely on team culture and tradition as the foundation of each season. For Pulaski, the team’s strength starts with something simple.
“We have done so well connecting in the past years that, honestly, it just feels like a family,” he said.
That sense of connection extends beyond the court. After matches at Fairfield, the team keeps a running tradition – heading to CiCi’s Pizza to see who can eat the most slices. It’s a much-anticipated ritual, where the winner gets their name engraved on a plaque in Coach Silberstein’s classroom.
DelVecchio said that unity has never been forced within the program.
“Team spirit isn’t one of those things we have had to really work for,” he said. “I think it’s just something that has always existed, even before I came into my freshman season. There is a sense of togetherness that exists on the court and off the court.”
Talawanda boys tennis opens its season April 7 at home against Harrison High School.
