You hear her every match.
Whether it’s a set point, game point or simply the first point toward growing momentum, “da-lhe” roars from court 1, as junior Joana Vale Costa lets everyone know she is having a good day.
“Word by word it means ‘take it,’ ‘take that shot,’” Vale Costa said. “I like to be aggressive and need to be energized if I want to play good. Screaming it brings all of that up.”
To her, nothing has changed since she was a pre-teenager.
Fellow Lady Tiger and senior Ella Taylor first met Vale Costa when they were 12. Throughout their careers in International Juniors, they partnered in doubles play several times and found a bond in their unique mentality.
“People used to hate playing us,” Taylor said. “We’d always be the loudest and the most intense. Sometimes both of us could get a little crazy on the court. There’s a fine line between intensity and focus. It can affect your tennis in a bad way if it gets too much, but she’s always been incredibly driven and motivated.”
With Vale Costa’s career featuring a No. 251 spot in the International Tennis Federation’s under-18 rankings and several Portuguese singles championships throughout her teen years, she had to make a choice between going to college or going professional.
A year of working with the Federation in Portugal eased her decision.
Being surrounded by mostly male athletes, extreme expectations and coaches that failed to create personal relationships with their players, LSU co-head coaches Julia and Michael Sell’s interest was the trigger she longed for.
“When I started looking at schools, it was automatic,” Vale Costa, a Lisbon,
Portugal-native, said. “Julia and Michael have become like parents to me. They respect me, and know that I want to play professionally, so they treat me a little bit different. It was an easy choice, really.”
Taylor, a Hampshire, England native, had already introduced her to LSU her during practice at a tournament in Great Britain. Vale Costa said the idea of playing on the same team had been a dream for them, now it was time to make it a reality.
“I remember the exact time and place,” Taylor said. “I was about to sign to LSU, so I was telling her all about it. She still wasn’t sure about going to college or turn pro, but we were saying ‘Oh my gosh, imagine if we’d end up at the same school. We can play doubles again.’ Two years later she joined the team.”
Though she is only somewhat satisfied with the way she adapted to collegiate play after coming to Baton Rouge in January of 2014, her development so far is promising.
Vale Costa was named to the All-SEC First Team and became the first Lady Tiger since Megan Falcon in 2009 to reach the NCAA Singles Championships her sophomore year. Now, as her junior year heads into postseason, she ranks No. 20 in the nation.
As the team relies on her leadership in the upcoming season, Julia looks to see even more developed consistency to take Vale Costa’s game to the next step.
Until then, she keeps on leading by example with a few “da-lhe’s” and “Geaux Tigers” in between.
“She’s not a talker, but a doer,” Julia said. “She always works hard in practice and competes hard in matches. For the team, she’s an example of how great we can be.”

Gallery • 2 Photos

Nicholas Martino

Junior, Joana Vale Costa, serves the ball against Ole Miss on Friday, March 11, 2016 at the LSU Tennis Complex.