CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – “Good to Great” is a common phrase in athletics. It can be used as an individual motivator or as a team mindset. The phrase can speak to an individual or to an entire program. The phrase resonates with everyone involved, from the top to the bottom, down the line, everyone understands what the phrase boils down to: Raise the bar and set a new standard. Once a phrase like this is adopted by an individual or a team, it is said often, reflected on, re-emphasized and engrained into a team’s culture…hopefully.
What if such a phrase isn’t necessary? What if a motivating phrase isn’t used, needed, or thought of and growth happens naturally?
You would see something that looks like the North Carolina women’s tennis team.
Since head coach Brian Kalbas was hired in the summer of 2003, the Tar Heels have consistently climbed to the upper-echelon of collegiate tennis.
Between the fall of 2003 and the spring of 2022, North Carolina recorded a 497-101 overall record, three ITA Fall singles champions, two ITA Fall doubles champions, six ITA Indoor national team titles, six ACC titles, twelve NCAA team championship quarterfinals, five NCAA team championship semifinals, and a national runner-up finish at the 2014 NCAA team championship.
Despite being good, UNC had to be the last team standing in May to be considered great.
Entering September of 2022, the Tar Heels were looking to once again regroup and refocus in order to make another run at the program’s first title. UNC was coming off an impressive 28-3 season but had fallen to Texas in the NCAA semifinals and no Tar Heels had made an appearance in the singles or doubles championship finals.
UNC was bringing back multiple starters with a plethora of wins, titles and experience. In addition, Carolina was adding the top-rated freshman in the country, Reese Brantmeier, to its lineup.
In November of 2022, the climb to greatness began.
North Carolina rolled through its fall schedule, ultimately winning the ITA Fall singles championship and finished as the runners-up in the doubles championship. The Tar Heels were one match away from becoming the first team to sweep the prestigious ITA Fall Championships since 2001.
Reaching greatness was something the team could now see coming into focus.
Entering the indoor season in January, UNC was ranked third in the polls with one lone vote as the top team in the country. Someone noticed what was happening.
How did North Carolina respond?
UNC went on to win its next 14 matches en route to its fourth straight ITA Indoor National title and the program’s seventh overall.
Shifting to ACC play, the Tar Heels were now the ones with the target on their back and delivered. North Carolina kept its momentum going from the indoor season with 15-straight wins and kept its No. 1 spot in the polls.
An undefeated season, 29-straight wins and the program’s twelfth ACC title was one match away. Then, adversity struck. North Carolina lost to rival NC State in the ACC Championship final.
The climb to greatness became hazy and a second wind was needed.
The second wind happened naturally. No yelling, pointing fingers or motivating phrases were needed. The second wind happened through trust and communication, the Kalbas way.
What North Carolina didn’t know in these days of confusion was that they were leaving good and moving to great.
The postseason: when the stakes are raised. One slip up and everything you work for is gone.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Carolina didn’t lose a point. Two rounds, two 4-0 victories. The following weekend, Carolina hosted Florida with a spot in Orlando and a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.
UNC dropped the doubles point to go down 0-1. Adversity was creeping in again but was shown the door quickly. Brantmeier responded at No. 1 singles with a straight-set win to tie the match at 1-1. Three Tar Heels followed suit to give UNC a 4-1 win and cement its spot in Orlando.
Five days later, in Orlando, the Tar Heels met Texas for the first time since the Longhorns ended the Tar Heels 2022 season. Carolina returned the favor with a 4-2 win and a spot in the national semifinals against Georgia.
A few steps away from the summit and greatness.
Georgia, a team the Tar Heels had faced twice before, stood in front of them. Carolina left no doubt. UNC swept the Dawgs, 4-0, and returned to the NCAA Championship match for the first time since 2014.
Now, on the precipice of greatness, the only thing remaining was planting their flag at the top. One match that would decide if this team was great.
Who was in their way? The one team that had clipped them during the season. NC State.
Everything this group of Tar Heels had worked for, talked about and built was riding on the result of one match. One match that would leave a legacy.
The analysis entering the match was “whoever won the doubles point, would win the match.”
Elizabeth Scotty and Carson Tanguilig won their doubles match while Brantmeier and Reilly Tran solidified the doubles point for the Tar Heels.
Momentum was on their side.
After an NC State singles win tied the match at 1-1, adversity and doubt once again tried to enter but to no avail. This team was different. This team was built to be great.
Three consecutive singles wins gave North Carolina its match-clinching fourth point and its first NCAA championship. Carolina had officially made the climb from good to great and planted its flag at the summit.
Now, Kalbas and Co. have a new challenge: Sustain greatness with high expectations. No slip ups.
High expectations are what comes with being great. So far, Carolina has continued to deliver.
Carolina has unlocked success at a rate few other programs have experienced since winning an NCAA championship last May. A week after celebrating a championship as a team, the Tar Heels found itself battling itself in the NCAA Doubles Championships. Two Tar Heels doubles teams playing for a championship and a bid to the U.S. Open. Greatness.
UNC was represented by four women in the U.S. Open this past August and since the Kalbas era began, over 100 pro titles have been won by a former Tar Heel. Greatness.
Fast forward to the fall and the results continue to prove that no motivating phrases need to be said. Instead, this team is special.
Last week, in the prestigious ITA Fall Championships, UNC raised the bar yet again as a program. A year after coming within one match of sweeping the event, the Tar Heels finished the job this year.
Brantmeier won the 2023 ITA Fall Championship singles tournament and became the fourth Tar Heel to win the event in the last five years. With Brantmeier’s win, UNC moved ahead of Florida for the most ITA singles championships with five.
An hour later, Brantmeier partnered with Scotty to win the 2023 ITA Fall doubles championship. It was Scotty’s second ITA Fall doubles championship and it put UNC in a tie with Texas and UCLA for the third-most ITA doubles championships in the event’s history.
Now, the Tar Heels have unlocked the potential they knew they had but had yet to see. They weren’t able to see it until they reached the top. Now, they understand what greatness is and what it takes to get there. They understand the climb and the adversity that comes with it.
For the Tar Heels, the route to the top is clear. Nothing needs to be said, not even a motivating phrase. This program is no longer just good, they are great. This program understands that it is not built on weightless phrases but instead built on meaningful trust and communication.
This program is built on a foundation that motivates and builds bonds with the people next to you rather than focusing on the hurdle in front of you. It’s the Kalbas way.
It’s a team-oriented motivation. A motivation that includes everyone. A type of motivation that is proven to make it to the summit.