Women's Tennis
Mortera, Romeo Ric
Romeo Ric Mortera
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- ric.mortera@ttu.edu
Ric Mortera moves into his third season with the Texas Tech women’s tennis program and was promoted to associate head coach in June 2016.
The Lady Raiders have picked up back-to-back NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances and racked up an impressive 46-13 record with Mortera as an assistant coach. He was named Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2016.
Texas Tech has secured consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history fueled by a program-record 25 victories during the 2016 season. The Lady Raiders have finished in a second-place tie in the Big 12 standings and appeared in both Big 12 Tournament championship matches during Mortera’s first two seasons.
Six players have captured All-Big 12 singles selections which include two-time honorees Sarah Dvorak (2015, 2016) and Gabriela Talaba (2015, 2016). Dvorak (2015) and Alex Valenstein (2016) also have secured the ITA’s Texas Region Rookie of the Year award.
Texas Tech was ranked among the ITA’s Top 20 for the entire 2016 campaign, a program first. The Lady Raiders climbed as high as No. 5 on March 1 program-record five straight weeks inside the ITA’s Top 10. Tech collected a program-high No. 15 ITA final ranking after NCAA Tournament home wins over Boston University and No. 21 Mississippi State before falling to No. 1 seed California in the NCAA Sweet 16.
The Lady Raiders piled up 15 of 21 victories against ranked opponents in 2015. Texas Tech dialed up wins over No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Baylor on back-to-back weekends, the first time the program captured consecutive wins over Top 15 opponents. The Lady Raiders broke through to their first NCAA Sweet 16 courtesy of NCAA Tournament home wins over New Mexico State and No. 22 LSU. Tech fell to No. 1 Southern Cal but wrapped up 2015 with a then program-record No. 16 ITA final ranking.
Prior to Texas Tech, Mortera served as an assistant coach at Illinois where the Fighting Illini secured a 14-10 record and an ITA ranking as high as No. 45 in 2014. Illinois garnered a pair of Top 30 upsets over Big 12 opponents over No. 25 TCU and No. 29 Oklahoma State.
Mortera saw four student-athletes honored at season's end. Emily Barretta and Misia Kedzierski were named Academic All-Big Ten, Allison Falkin was named All-Big Ten and Louise Kwong was named the recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Mortera spent time as an assistant coach at Purdue during the 2013 season. He helped guide the Boilermakers to an 18-6 record and the NCAA’s Round of 32. The 18 wins were a school record, and it marked the second time in program history that Purdue won a NCAA Tournament match.
The Boilermakers reached a program-best No. 14 in the ITA rankings. Mortera also was instrumental in Purdue's first NCAA Doubles Championship berth since 2000. Krisztina Kapitany and Mara Schmidt became the Boilermakers' fourth doubles tandem to appear in the NCAA Doubles Championships in program history.
Mortera began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Illinois in 2011 and 2012. The Illini had five players earn All-Big Ten recognition in addition to six players appear in the ITA singles or doubles rankings during his two-year stint. Illinois jumped out to as high as No. 18 in the ITA rankings.
While at Illinois, Mortera also worked on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour where he coached former United States Fed Cup player Alexa Glatch and 2009 Orange Bowl champion Julia Boserup. He helped Glatch reach the U.S. Open and Wimbledon main draws and improved her ranking from No. 302 to No. 139 in the world. He also helped Boserup achieve a career-high ranking of No. 174.
Mortera was a four-year letterwinner at the University of Oregon, where he reached No. 45 in the ITA rankings during his senior year. He led the Ducks in dual-match singles wins as a sophomore. Mortera graduated from Oregon in 2010 with degrees in both economics and political science.
On the junior’s circuit, Mortera was consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally. He vaulted up to No. 6 and was the top-ranked player from the Pacific Northwest. A native of Portland, Mortera was a four-time Oregon All-State selection at Jesuit High School and earned All-America honors in 2005. He also was ranked the 17th-best high school recruit by TennisRecruiting.com in the Spring of 2005.
The Ric Mortera File
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Alma Mater (Year): Oregon (2010)
Twitter: @RicMortera
Mortera’s Coaching Awards
2016 Wilson/ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year
Mortera’s Year-by-Year Record as an Assistant Coach
Season, Overall Record, NCAA Tournament, School
2013, 18-6, NCAA Second Round, Purdue
2014, 14-10, Illinois
2015, 21-7, NCAA Sweet 16, Texas Tech
2016, 25-6, NCAA Sweet 16, Texas Tech
The Lady Raiders have picked up back-to-back NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances and racked up an impressive 46-13 record with Mortera as an assistant coach. He was named Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2016.
Texas Tech has secured consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history fueled by a program-record 25 victories during the 2016 season. The Lady Raiders have finished in a second-place tie in the Big 12 standings and appeared in both Big 12 Tournament championship matches during Mortera’s first two seasons.
Six players have captured All-Big 12 singles selections which include two-time honorees Sarah Dvorak (2015, 2016) and Gabriela Talaba (2015, 2016). Dvorak (2015) and Alex Valenstein (2016) also have secured the ITA’s Texas Region Rookie of the Year award.
Texas Tech was ranked among the ITA’s Top 20 for the entire 2016 campaign, a program first. The Lady Raiders climbed as high as No. 5 on March 1 program-record five straight weeks inside the ITA’s Top 10. Tech collected a program-high No. 15 ITA final ranking after NCAA Tournament home wins over Boston University and No. 21 Mississippi State before falling to No. 1 seed California in the NCAA Sweet 16.
The Lady Raiders piled up 15 of 21 victories against ranked opponents in 2015. Texas Tech dialed up wins over No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Baylor on back-to-back weekends, the first time the program captured consecutive wins over Top 15 opponents. The Lady Raiders broke through to their first NCAA Sweet 16 courtesy of NCAA Tournament home wins over New Mexico State and No. 22 LSU. Tech fell to No. 1 Southern Cal but wrapped up 2015 with a then program-record No. 16 ITA final ranking.
Prior to Texas Tech, Mortera served as an assistant coach at Illinois where the Fighting Illini secured a 14-10 record and an ITA ranking as high as No. 45 in 2014. Illinois garnered a pair of Top 30 upsets over Big 12 opponents over No. 25 TCU and No. 29 Oklahoma State.
Mortera saw four student-athletes honored at season's end. Emily Barretta and Misia Kedzierski were named Academic All-Big Ten, Allison Falkin was named All-Big Ten and Louise Kwong was named the recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Mortera spent time as an assistant coach at Purdue during the 2013 season. He helped guide the Boilermakers to an 18-6 record and the NCAA’s Round of 32. The 18 wins were a school record, and it marked the second time in program history that Purdue won a NCAA Tournament match.
The Boilermakers reached a program-best No. 14 in the ITA rankings. Mortera also was instrumental in Purdue's first NCAA Doubles Championship berth since 2000. Krisztina Kapitany and Mara Schmidt became the Boilermakers' fourth doubles tandem to appear in the NCAA Doubles Championships in program history.
Mortera began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Illinois in 2011 and 2012. The Illini had five players earn All-Big Ten recognition in addition to six players appear in the ITA singles or doubles rankings during his two-year stint. Illinois jumped out to as high as No. 18 in the ITA rankings.
While at Illinois, Mortera also worked on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour where he coached former United States Fed Cup player Alexa Glatch and 2009 Orange Bowl champion Julia Boserup. He helped Glatch reach the U.S. Open and Wimbledon main draws and improved her ranking from No. 302 to No. 139 in the world. He also helped Boserup achieve a career-high ranking of No. 174.
Mortera was a four-year letterwinner at the University of Oregon, where he reached No. 45 in the ITA rankings during his senior year. He led the Ducks in dual-match singles wins as a sophomore. Mortera graduated from Oregon in 2010 with degrees in both economics and political science.
On the junior’s circuit, Mortera was consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally. He vaulted up to No. 6 and was the top-ranked player from the Pacific Northwest. A native of Portland, Mortera was a four-time Oregon All-State selection at Jesuit High School and earned All-America honors in 2005. He also was ranked the 17th-best high school recruit by TennisRecruiting.com in the Spring of 2005.
The Ric Mortera File
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Alma Mater (Year): Oregon (2010)
Twitter: @RicMortera
Mortera’s Coaching Awards
2016 Wilson/ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year
Mortera’s Year-by-Year Record as an Assistant Coach
Season, Overall Record, NCAA Tournament, School
2013, 18-6, NCAA Second Round, Purdue
2014, 14-10, Illinois
2015, 21-7, NCAA Sweet 16, Texas Tech
2016, 25-6, NCAA Sweet 16, Texas Tech
Highlights vs. Boston U (NCAA First Round)
Friday, May 02
Postmatch Press Conference - NCAA First Round
Friday, May 02
Tennis Educational Video
Thursday, May 01
Tic-Tac-Toe Serving Game
Thursday, May 01
