May 11, 2011
Complete Big 12 Release
IRVING, Texas - Baylor's Sona Novakova was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in women's tennis, leading a contingent of honorees earning league postseason awards, announced by conference officials Wednesday.
Along with her individual honor, Novakova was also a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 Singles team, joining fellow juniors Diana Nakic and Nina Secerbegovic. In doubles, Secerbegovic and her partner, senior Karolina Filipiak, earned All-Big 12 Doubles honors. All four players are being honored for the first time in their careers.
The Newcomer of the Year award for Novakova marks the third time in the last four years a Baylor player has been recognized, while also being the sixth consecutive year that the Lady Bears have taken home at least one of the leagues four prestigious honors.
Novakova, ranked 14th in the NCAA, leads the Lady Bears in both singles and doubles victories with marks of 29-10 and 25-8, respectively. The junior has played Baylor's No. 1 singles position for the majority of the season, compiling a dual-match singles record of 18-8, while being 14-8 against ranked opponents. Novakova went 8-1 against conference opponents this season.
Nakic, also a junior, will enter the NCAA Championships as Baylor's hottest player, riding a current win-streak of 17 matches, having lost only set along the way. Nakic has compiled a 26-6 singles mark, and put together a perfect 11-0 record in dual matches against conference opponents. Nakic turned in a perfect 11-0 mark against Big 12 opponents, going 2-0 at the No. 2 spot and 9-0 at No. 3
Secerbegovic, a veteran of the NCAA singles tournament, will try to improve on her quarterfinal finish from the event last season. This year, Secerbegovic has once again turned Baylor's No. 2 singles position into a victory nearly every time out, compiling a 24-2 dual-match singles mark. In doubles, she is 19-13 on the season. She turned in a league singles mark of 9-1, with the lone loss coming to the Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year Petra Neidermayerova.
The doubles pair of Secerbegovic and Filipiak joined forces midway through the Big 12 season, but helped the Lady Bears find a more consistent level of play at the No. 1 position, going 5-2 against conference opponents.
Along with Novakova and Neidermayerova's two major Big 12 awards, the Coach of the Year honor went to Texas Tech's Todd Petty.
The Lady Bears will be back on the court this weekend on May 14-15, as they host the first two rounds of the NCAA Team Championships at the Baylor Tennis Center. They will take on UT-Arlington at noon on Saturday, May 14. Oklahoma will take on Cal Poly earlier in the day, while the winners of each match will meet on Sunday, May 15, at 2 p.m. for a chance to advance to the round of 16.
