Brian Kalbas’ No. 1 Tar Heels are on the doorstep of history. No women’s tennis team has ever gone undefeated in the ACC regular season. Armed with a deep and talented lineup, Carolina is determined to become the first to do so Friday in Chestnut Hill.

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Not everything, though, has been clean sailing. For the first time this season, UNC dropped the opening doubles point Wednesday against arch-rival Duke. Panic could have settled in.

But for this group of Tar Heels that UNC head coach Brian Kalbas calls “special”, that wasn’t going to happen.

Jamie Loeb is one of the premier college players in the nation (UNC Athletics)

Jamie Loeb is one of the premier college players in the nation (UNC Athletics)

“After the doubles, I looked at the players’ faces and eyes – you could tell they weren’t panicked, upset or unnerved by the situation. It was just a matter of going out there, getting off to a good start and putting in some good execution in the start of the singles,” Coach Kalbas says.

Tennis is such an individual sport. So how does this affect the way Coach Kalbas handles his duties?

“Each person needs something a little different. Some need strategy, some need some emotional stability, some can do things on their own and others need you to talk to them. You have to get a good understanding of what they need,” Coach Kalbas says.

Right now, every member of the lineup seems to understand their roles. Coach Kalbas says his team’s depth and experience is paying dividends.

Multiple players have come up with match-clinching victories and earned ACC Player of the Week honors.

UNC winning ITA Indoor National Title. (UNC Athletics)

UNC winning ITA Indoor National Title. (UNC Athletics)

However, most of the attention goes to No. 1 Jamie Loeb. Loeb splashed onto the national tennis stage as a freshman a year ago when she came out of nowhere to seize a singles national title in the fall of 2013 against a stacked field.

But there’s been no sophomore slump for Loeb – a gritty competitor who Coach Kalbas says is getting sharper and sharper with each point.

“She’s really playing unbelievable right now. She’s really turned it on the past few weeks. She’s beaten some good players – Wagner from Miami, her rival Elbaba from Virginia and Capra from Duke. She’s had to be really playing extremely well and very focuses. She’s done an amazing job at that,” Coach Kalbas says.

Coming up just short in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to UCLA in the 2014 NCAA championship match may have been the best thing that could have happened to the Tar Heels.

Coach Kalbas says the defeat has added fuel to the fire to this year’s charge.

“I think it’s had a major effect. I think we’ve been focused throughout the year, not taking any match for granted, respecting each opponent and what they potentially could do against us,” Coach Kalbas says.

Brian Kalbas has all the pieces to contend for a national championship (UNC Athletics)

Brian Kalbas has all the pieces to contend for a national championship (UNC Athletics)

Up to this point, Carolina is unblemished, sporting a 25-0 record overall and a 13-0 mark in league play. However, that begs the question – would a loss before the NCAA Tournament benefit the Tar Heels?

“This is the kind of team I don’t think would benefit from a loss going into the postseason. I really think this team benefits from winning and getting that motivation that we could do something special,” Coach Kalbas says.

But for now, the ultra-focused Tar Heels have their rackets aimed at Boston College. A win Friday would stamp the Carolina women’s tennis program’s place in history.

“Our team is very record-oriented. They know that no ACC team has gone undefeated during the regular season, so they’re very motivated to do that when we play BC,” Coach Kalbas says.