Jan. 14, 2012

LA QUINTA, Calif. - Freshman Ema Burgic suffered a first round loss on Friday at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic in La Quinta, Calif.

In her first match at Baylor, Burgic tried to mount a comeback in the second set, eventually falling in straight sets to UC-Irvine's Kristina Smith, 6-1, 6-4.

"Ema is a good competitor, who is just beginning to understand our system," assistant coach Alison Ojeda said. "Today, she was just out-executed by her opponent, but once she gets a few matches under her belt, she is going to excel for us."

Burgic will continue action in the consolation rounds on Saturday against Texas' Carlene Layden.