Before every game, an announcer reads off the list of starters for both teams. Each time, Jessi Lieb waits for her name to blast from the loudspeakers.

Upon hearing it, she runs through the tunnel made of her teammate's bodies, high-fiving and smiling at each one. The rest of the Penn State women's lacrosse team practically pushes Lieb onto the field because it knows how much it needs her.

This season, Lieb has helped carry the team by leading it in goals (25), assists (9), points (34) and groundballs (32).

"Jessi's a phenomenal athlete," Penn State coach Suzanne Isidor said. "I would say she's the best athlete I have ever coached. We always say that Jessi can do it all. She's special, she's definitely special."

With all eyes on her, Lieb is beginning to feel pressure from not only her Penn State team, but from national attention as well. For the second summer, she will play lacrosse as an alternate member of the touring U.S. national team, which will travel to Prague, Czech Republic. Lieb's older sister, Nikki, is also on the team.

The midfielder was also named to the Tewaaraton Trophy's preseason watch list for the third consecutive year, the top individual award in lacrosse. And all of the national attention places a burden on Lieb's shoulders.

"I've kind of had a frustrating season, just because I think there is a lot expected from me," Lieb said. "It's not by anyone in particular, but being on the U.S. team and being a senior, it's my last chance and I feel a lot of pressure."

Although Lieb is dealing with pressure this season, it is nothing new to her. The first pressure Lieb ever felt was from her mother, Becca, who said Jessi will tell her something is black if she says it is white.

Lacrosse was no different, as when Becca first introduced Jessi to the sport at the youth program in the fourth grade, Jessi said she would only play if she was the goalie.

"Lacrosse has just been another positive in her life," Becca Lieb said, adding that her daughter decided to play midfield soon thereafter. "She has fun with what she does."

Even with the losing season Penn State (4-11, 0-4 ALC) is having, senior defender Christina Buttle said her teammate remains positive.

She said Lieb always tries to keep her teammates' heads up, and she is seen as a role model to the younger players.

During practice, the team often splits up into small groups. Buttle said everyone wants to be paired with Lieb because not only is she "crazy," but her hard work ethic rubs off on the other players.

"She's really an inspiration to everyone," Buttle said. "She's just a lovable girl who loves her team and sport."

Playing at Penn State has been something special for Lieb and her family. Her parents, Tom and Becca Lieb, show up to every game, as Becca is armed with a digital camera, snapping photos of her daughter in between yells of "Go Jessi!"

The family photo albums are beginning to fill up with pictures from Lieb's four years at Penn State. Lieb has started in almost every game besides the six games she missed last season because of a severe foot injury. Lieb said those few games she had to sit out were awful, and it killed her to sit out for that long.

But, at practice this week, Lieb ran up and down the field, changing direction with ease. Throughout stretching and drills, the smile on her face never faded -- and neither did the pressure.

"She's just fun to watch," Isidor said. "She loves to play lacrosse, and it shows in the way she plays."