Tuscaloosa, AL (U-WIRE) -- For a player that leads the SEC in scoring after five games and threatens to break every offensive school record on the books by season's end, senior Libby Probst sure doesn't say much.

"She's pretty quiet on and off the field," said teammate Leigh Alexander. "I don't think I heard her say two words her freshman year."

She might not be the Terrell Owens of soccer, but that's because Probst does her talking a different way.

"I try to set an example on the field," Probst said. "I try to support my team by stepping into whatever role I feel like they need me to."

Statistically, there is no better example of offensive power than Probst. Her seven goals this season put her four away from the school record set by Ashley Kirkland. Probst is also fast-approaching the school records for points and assists, where she currently ranks fourth and seventh respectively.

"She's done some pretty amazing things since she's been here," said head coach Don Staley, who recruited Probst out of Salt Lake City. Staley said he was there to recruit another player at the time but was alerted to Probst by a colleague.

"I couldn't leave Salt Lake City without her," Staley said.

Making the change from Salt Lake to Tuscaloosa wasn't as tough as it might seem, according to Probst.

"It's been a good fit for me," Probst said. "The people are friendly, the weather's a lot warmer. It's been fun experiencing a different culture."

Any discussion about the culture of Tuscaloosa has to include the passion and intensity of the SEC, a part of the South that Probst has come to embrace.

"I love playing in the SEC," Probst said. "I didn't even know about the SEC before I came down here. The level of competition every week is just amazing. Every game's a big rivalry."

Though Probst and the Tide are making waves on the field early in the 2005 season, it's off the field that Staley thinks Probst, who is majoring in civil engineering, shines as a student-athlete.

"Libby is a role model," Staley said. "You hear that term a lot, but Libby is the real deal. She lives a clean life; she does well academically. She's not only a tenacious player but a compassionate one as well. She's loyal to her school and to her teammates. She's the kind of kid you want to have for four years."

Probst's strong-and-silent-type demeanor has earned her a different sort of attention from her teammates and friends.

"She doesn't say much, but when she has something to say, you always listen," said Alexander.

Probst's coaches and teammates think with all she has accomplished in her career at Alabama, she will be remembered more for the way she has conducted herself than for the numbers themselves.

"When she's done wearing this jersey, people will remember her in the SEC," Staley said. "I'm sure there have been kids in the stands that have watched her over her career and would love to be like her. That's her legacy. She has shown people not only how to score goals but how to do it with class."

Probst and the Tide head into their final week of nonconference play this weekend with home matches against Nicholls State tonight at 7 p.m. and Mercer on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Tide opens its SEC season against Florida on Sept. 23 in Gainesville.

(C) 2004 The Crimson White via U-WIRE