Novell went 2-1 in the opening week of matches for the Crusaders in three matches against NCAA Division I opponnents. He dropped the opening match against Gardner-Webb's Alex Lepine 6-3, 2-6 10-6, but bounced back with pair of wins. First at No. 3 singles, the sophomore defeated Naresh Bharathy of North Carolina Central 6-4, 6-3 before defeating Juan Camilo Perez of Davidson 7-6 (10-7), 6-3 at the top flight.