The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 12, 2004 - 11 Cobler does it all without flash Florida State rallies past N.C. State, 17-10 By Dan Ketchel Daily Sports Writer It's pretty natural that on every team, some superstars will be the glorified heroes. But their abilities and feats wouldn't shine so brightly without the roleplayers in the background carry- ing the team to victory. The Michigan volleyball team is no exception; senior powerhouses Lisa Gamal- ski and Jennifer Gandolph are both enjoying record- N setting seasons to cap two sensational careers. But M they overshadow another No. 5 integral presence on the T < court. Sophomore Erin Cobler has quietly racked up impressive statistics this season sitting in the top three on the team in kills (240), serving aces (18), attacks (588), and total points (290). Cobler, a right-side player, isn't exactly in a position to produce such numbers, as the power usually comes from the left side of an offense. Recruited as a blocking specialist, Cobler set the national high school record for career blocks. Since arriving in Ann Arbor, Cobler has expanded her game tre- mendously. Michigan volleyball coach Mark Rosen, who recruited Cobler, doesn't downplay how big of a role she has on the team. i : e; "She's a great volleyball player," Rosen said. "Instead of being a spe- cialty player, she can do it all. She can hit, she can play defense, she can block and it's made her a very valuable player." Cobler seems to be concentrating on her attacking abilities. Since com- ing out of high school, she has spent countless hours working on her physi- cal abilities, including her overall fitness and GHTstrength. "I try to work hard to n 5. bring more heat on the ball and to become a p >r thinking hitter," Cobler n Aen said. "I try not to just put the ball in play when I hit but to make smart shots. I focus on not making errors and getting kills." Rosen likes to use Cobler by match- ing her up against the opponent's most dominant hitter. Cobler seems to love the one-on-one competition with the opposing team's top athlete. She treats it as a mind game that is imperative for her to control. "When I'm confident in myself, I can make things happen," Cobler said. "I like getting into opponents' heads and making them do what I want them to do." Cobler has become one of the steadiest, most consistent players for RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Wyatt Sexton got knocked down time and time again. When he did stay on his feet, his passes rarely found their target. Still, his team won, thanks to a defense every bit as stingy as the one on the other side of the field. "I love 'em, that's all I can say," Sexton said of his defensive teammates. Lorenzo Booker and James Coleman each ran for third-quarter touchdowns, helping No. II Florida State rally past N.C. State 17-10 last night in a game that featured 22 punts, four turnovers and less than 250 yards of combined offense. Last season, these two teams went to double overtime before the Seminoles pre- vailed 50-44. It seems a lot longer than a year ago in a lot of ways. "It was a defensive war from the very beginning," Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden said. "I hadn't seen a defensive battle like that in a long time. Totally dom- inating.'" Florida State (6-2 ACC, 8-2 overall) went deep into the second quarter before its yardage total exceeded the number of plays. Sexton finished 5-for-18 for only 73 yards, and leading rusher Leon Wash- ington was held to 56 yards on 18 carries after missing the previous two games with a shoulder injury. The only thing that kept Sexton on the field was an iniury to backup Chris Rix, who had a sore ankle and likely wQi~td have had a tough time evading the pressure from N.C. State. "If Chris had his wheels, I probabty definitely would have changed quar- terbacks," Bowden said. "Because we were getting sacked so much, I feel like we've got to have a quarterback that move around." Still, it was enough. The lone touch- down for the Wolfpack (3-5,4-6) came on Darrell Blackman's 87-yard punt return in the second quarter that gave them a 10-0 lead. But even though they rotated quarter- backs, they couldn't generate much offense after halftime. They had only one first down - fitting- ly, on a pass interference penalty -and 26 yards in the final two periods. Jay Davis and Marcus Stone were a combined 9-foE- 25 for 100 yards as former N.C. State star quarterback Philip Rivers watched from the sidelines. Boston Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon, whose wife attended N.C. State, joined Rivers, but even he couldn't provide the necessary karma to help the Wolfpack. They won't be going to a bowl for the firat time in five seasons under coach Chuck Amato. "Things happen for a reason, and Well learn from this and improve," he said. "I'n proud of our kids for being in that game and being in a position to win at the end. MIKE IUL Michigan sophomore Erin Cobler had 13 kills Saturday against Purdue. the Wolverines. In her past two years of play, she has steadily slipped under the radar as a key force on the Michi- gan side of the net. Cobler has proved to be dependable - she provides a high number of kills and a low number of errors on a nightly basis. However, she may not be the standout player that catches everyone's eye, nor will she single-handedly take over a game. "I try tojust be a steady player," Cobler said. "I try not to play outside myself, but to just be that stabilizing person on the court. I don't get the big kills like the outsides do, so it's not much of a flashy role. But I try to be consistent." The Michigan volleyball team will have an opportunity to show just how deep it is when it faces No. 5 Minne- sota tonight at Cliff Keen Arena. Santana a unanimous pick for AL Cy Young NEW YORK (AP) - As joyous fans celebrated by honking car horns in Caracas, Johan Santana sounded overwhelmed. He became the first Ven- ezuelan to win a Cy Young Award, and not only that, he was a unanimous choice. "This is like a dream come true," he said after earning the American League honor yesterday. "I'm a little surprised that I ended up the season where I ended up the season." The Minnesota Twins' left-hander received all 28 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Santana, who went 20-6 and led the AL with a 2.61 ERA and 265 strikeouts, became the first unanimous Cy Young winner since Arizona's Randy Johnson two years ago and the first in the AL since Boston's Pedro Martinez in 2000. He is the 18th unanimous winner overall, the seventh in the AL. Curt Schilling, 21-6 with a 3.26 ERA in his first season with the Red Sox, received 27 second-place votes and one third for 82 points. Mariano Rive- ra of the New York Yankees, who led the major leagues with a career-high 53 saves, received the other second-place vote and 24 thirds for 27 points. "I'm surprised this has been a unanimous deci- sion," Santana said. "I thought this was going to be a real tough race." Santana traveled yesterday morning from his hometown of Tovar Merida to Caracas. President Hugo Chavez planned to congratulate him today. "It's on national TV," Santana said. "Hopefully, in a couple of hours I'll be addressing the country and letting them know how I feel." Santana was 13-0 with a 1.21 ERA in 15 starts after the All-Star break, mastering his changeup. "I expected it - with the numbers he had he couldn't fail," said Luis Aparicio, a Venezuelan voted to the Hall of Fame in 1984. "He's going to continue winning." Voting was conducted before the start of the postseason, when Schilling beat the Yankees in Game 6 of the AL championship series and St. Louis in Game 2 of the World Series despite pitch- ing with a dislocated ankle tendon held together by sutures. Boston went on to sweep St. Louis to win the World Series for the first time since 1918. "It was amazing," Santana said. "To me, he was just a hero. He did great things for Boston and for baseball. That's a role model for a young baseball player to follow." Schilling, who led the major leagues in wins, has never won a Cy Young Award. He was runner- up for the third time, tying Johnson, a five-time winner, and 1957 winner Warren Spahn for the most second-place finishes. Santana had a breakout season after going 12- 3 for the Twins in 2003. Coming off surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow, he was 2-4 in 12 starts before beating the New York Mets on June 9. After helping lead Minnesota to his third straight AL Central title, he beat the Yankees in the opener of their first-round playoff series and, pitching on three days' rest, left Game 4 with a 5-1 lead before New York rallied against the Twins' bullpen. Santana, eligible for free agency after the 2006 season, lost in salary arbitration last February and earned a $1.6 million salary with no bonuses. Schilling, who had a $12 million salary. earned a $400,000 bonus for finishing second. Florida State's Wyatt Sexton completed 5-of-18 passes for 73 yards last night.