Samantha Mannix Joins Iowa Tennis Coaching Staff

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa alumnae Samantha Mannix has been named assistant coach with the Hawkeye tennis program, the announcement was made Monday by head coach Sasha Boros.

Mannix will join the staff as a recruiting coordinator before beginning her assistant coaching role on August 1.  She will replace Elise van Huevelen Treadwell, who will remain with the program through the transition.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Samantha back to the University of Iowa,” said Boros. “She is an outstanding former member of our tennis team who had an excellent playing career and made a lasting impact on our program through her competitive spirit, fight, and deep love for the Hawkeyes

“Samantha brings a rare combination of high-level playing experience, collegiate coaching experience, professional tour coaching experience, and major tournament administrative experience to our program.

"It was an absolute honor to coach her as a player, and I am thrilled to now have her as my partner in coaching. We cannot wait to get started and are so excited to welcome Samantha back to Iowa City.”

Mannix returns to the collegiate ranks after spending the past year coaching Alicia Dudeney on the WTA Tour with incredible success.  Dudeney is ranked in the top 300 in the WTA in singles and doubles.  She has also worked the past three years at the U.S. Open in operations and player relations.

“Iowa is home to me. I spent five years here as a student-athlete and fell in love with the program, the culture, and the people who make it special,” said Mannix. “Returning as an assistant coach is incredibly meaningful because I truly believe in what Iowa women’s tennis stands for and the impact this program can have on young athletes.

“Having experienced that firsthand, I’m grateful for the opportunity to help create that same experience for future Hawkeyes. I’m looking forward to working alongside Sasha, who I had the great privilege of playing for. Together, we want to continue building a program centered around strong culture, meaningful relationships, competitive excellence, and enjoying the process every day.”

Before entering the professional coaching ranks, Mannix spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Florida from 2023-25.  She coached five players to All-America honors and the team climbed as high as No. 8 in the ITA rankings in 2024.

Mannix coached Dudeney and Rachel Gailis to a No. 3 national doubles rankings and the duo made the Final Four of the NCAA Doubles Tournament.  Gailis was ranked as high as No. 7 nationally in singles, while Dudeney was as high as 44th.

Dudeney had an exceptional run in 2025, posting an 11-1 SEC record at No. 2 singles en route to first-team All-SEC honors.

As a player, Mannix was an All-Big Ten, CSC Academic All-District, ITA Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten selection, competing for the Hawkeyes from 2018-22.  She won 62 singles matches and 60 doubles matches during her career, playing at the top three lines in singles.

Mannix, an Elkhorn, Nebraska, native graduated from the University of Iowa with a double major in sport and recreation management and communication studies in 2022 and she received her master’s degree in sport and recreation management in 2023.