Kristina Novak Season 2021-22

Honors & Awards

• First-Team All-Big Ten (2021, 2022)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2021, 2022)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2019, 2020, 2021; Spring 2020, 2021, 2022)
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2022)
• Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award (2022)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2020, 2021, 2022)
• Career high ITF ranking of 174
• Career high WTA singles ranking of 921
• Career high WTA doubles ranking of 585
• Part of the national team in all junior selections and places third at the European Championships (U16 Doubles)
• ITF Singles Title (1)
• ITF Doubles Titles (7)
• ITF 15k Doubles Titles (2)
• National Champion (U12, U14, U18) Singles and Doubles

2021-22: Sophomore 
In the 2021-22 season, Kristina Novak competed at the No. 1 singles position and the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions. During the fall, Novak impressed in singles play, posting a 5-4 record. Not only was she one of four Huskers to post double-digit singles victories, but she also led the team in this category with 21 wins. Novak had an impressive spring semester with three ranked wins. On February 19, her success was recognized as she entered the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles rankings at the No. 108 spot. Overall, Novak went 21-10 in singles competition, including a 14-6 mark during the spring. In doubles play, Novak went 19-6, teaming up with Maja Makoric and Samantha Alicea. 

She closed the season by capturing first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season. She was also Nebraska's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner for women's tennis. Off the court, Novak earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second time. She was also awarded the Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award and was a member of the 2022 Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.
 
2020-21: Sophomore
Novak had an impressive sophomore season, earning the honor of First-Team All-Big Ten. In the 2020-21 season, Novak competed in every match at the No. 1 singles position and the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions. Not only was she one of five Huskers to post double-digit singles victories, but she also led the team in this category with 16 wins. Novak had an impressive start to the spring semester with six straight singles wins against Big Ten opponents. On March 24, her success was recognized as she entered the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles rankings at the No. 88 spot. She remained in the rankings for three-straight weeks. Overall, Novak went 16-8 in singles competition, including a 12-8 mark during the spring. In doubles play, Novak went 8-9, teaming up with Hayley Haakenstad, Vivien Sandberg, Samantha Alicea and Maja Makoric.

During the fall, Novak impressed in singles play, posting a 4-0 record and was the first Husker to capture a tournament title on the ITA Fall Circuit in the 2020-21 season. Novak won four-straight matches at the event in Wichita, Kan., and defeated Zoe Hammond in the finals.

Off the court, Novak was named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters of 2020-21. She was also a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for the second time.

2019-20: Freshman (Year of Eligibility Restored Due to COVID-19 Pandemic)
Novak saw extensive action in a freshman season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Novak competed in 20 singles matches, tying for the team lead in that category. She posted a 13-7 overall record and a 9-3 mark in the spring, tying for the most overall and spring victories of any Husker during the 2019-20 season. She competed out of the top three spots in the lineup, posting an impressive 4-1 record at the No. 1 singles spot, a 4-2 mark at the No. 2 spot and a 1-0 mark from the No. 3 position. In doubles action, Novak competed 14 times with three different partners, posting a 6-8 record, including a 5-5 mark during the spring.

Novak had an outstanding fall, making an impressive run at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic. The freshman earned singles and doubles wins on the opening day of competition, including a three-set victory in the first round of the main draw. Novak won her first three singles matches of the spring, including a three-set victory at the No. 1 spot against Baylor's Mel Krywoj. Novak also ended her season strong, winning five of her final six matches, including a win in her Big Ten debut against Rutgers' Tess Fisher. She also partnered with Hayley Haakenstad to win her doubles match at Rutgers. Novak and Haakenstad were Nebraska's top doubles duo during the spring, posting a 4-1 record out of the No. 1 spot.

Before Nebraska
In 2018, Novak participated in the Australian Open Juniors tournament. Novak has also won a total of seven ITF Junior Doubles tournaments in Austria, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina (twice), Hungary and Slovenia. Novak trained at Teniski Klub Triglav Kranj for 10 years before playing at Teniski Klub Radomlje in 2018. 

Personal
Kristina is the daughter of Alenka and Vili Novak and was born and raised in Radovljica, Slovenia. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten choice as a marketing major, Kristina is a six-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection. She was also a three-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Singles
 

Year	Spring	Big Ten	Fall	Total
2019-20	9-3	1-0	4-4	13-7
2020-21	12-8	12-7	4-0	16-8
2021-22	14-6	9-3	5-4	21-10
Totals	35-17	22-10	13-8	50-25

Doubles
 

Year	Spring	Big Ten	Fall	Total
2019-20	5-5	1-0	1-3	6-8
2020-21	8-9	8-8	0-0	8-9
2021-22	14-1	9-0	5-4	19-6
Totals	27-15	18-8	6-7	33-23