Samantha Mannix

University of Iowa alumnae Samantha Mannix is in her first season as assistant coach with the Hawkeye women's tennis program.  Mannix joins the staff as a recruiting coordinator and will assume her assistant coach position on Aug. 1.

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 at the time of her hiring. “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.