U-M Inks Cobler, Rybacki to Start Early Signing Period
11/14/2001 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The National Letter of Intent early signing period began today (Wednesday, Nov. 14) and runs through Wednesday, Nov. 21. Michigan expects to sign one more student-athlete in the early period.
Cobler, a 6-1 middle blocker/outside hitter, earned Michigan all-state honors by helping Dexter High School to a third-place finish at the 2001 state championships. A native of Dexter, Mich., about 12 miles west of Ann Arbor, she also plays for Dexter Volleyball Club. Cobler has experience at a variety of positions and should be able to play anywhere she is needed for the Wolverines.
"Erin is a very good utility player," said head coach Mark Rosen. "She set in high school, and she's pretty good at it. She played right side, and she's pretty good at it. She played the middle, and she's pretty good at it. She played on the left, and she's pretty good at it. She can really fill a lot of roles. We see her as more of a middle blocker, but we don't know that for sure."
Rybacki, a 6-0 setter, led her high school team to a 36-5 record and a spot in the Illinois state quarterfinals this season. She has played for the Sky High Volleyball Club since seventh grade.
"Laura is going to give us great depth in the setting position," said Rosen. "She brings in size that you don't often get in a setter, and she has great fundamental setting skills. She also brings in a very high level of experience, with her club and high school success."
Michigan is currently 12-11 overall and 8-8 in the Big Ten Conference. The Wolverines are on the road at No. 14 Penn State (Nov. 16) and No. 9 Ohio State (Nov. 17) this weekend before closing out the regular season with home matches against Indiana (Nov. 23) and No. 21 Illinois (Nov. 23).
Quotes from Head Coach Mark Rosen
On Erin Cobler ... "We're real excited about getting Erin for several reasons. She is a very good utility player. She set in high school, and she's pretty good at it. She played right side, and she's pretty good at it. She played the middle, and she's pretty good at it. She played on the left, and she's pretty good at it. She can really fill a lot of roles. We see her as more of a middle blocker, but we don't know that for sure. The nice thing about her being on the right side is that she can run an offense because she has set before. Nicole Poquette is still pretty young, so we don't know if Erin will make an impact there. Still, it's nice to have a player we can put into any position and will quickly make an impact. She's a good, well-rounded volleyball player who has played a lot of different positions. Players like that don't come around very often these days.
"The second thing is that she's a local kid, which is awesome. It's great to have somebody who grew up 12 miles away and grew up in the shadow of Michigan. It's really fun to have a player like that, and you don't get those very often these days either. Rarely does a player of her magnitude live in your back yard. I think that is going to be a great addition to our program.
"The third significant thing with Erin is that she has great character. She brings great intangibles to the program. This is a kid who is a gym rat; she lives and breathes volleyball. She has very high aspirations for herself and the team, and she's a great student. She really has the whole package of tangible qualities that we need to be successful and also the intangible qualities that are going to allow her and us to play at a very high level."
On Laura Rybacki ... "Laura is going to give us great depth in the setting position. She brings in size that you don't often get in a setter, and she has great fundamental setting skills. She has a great release of the ball. She is very quick and handles the ball very high, two things that help our offense a lot. We need a setter who can handle the ball high and quick because we run an up-tempo offense. She also adds a good-size block and brings in a very high level of experience with her club and high school success.
"She also brings in a lot of qualities that will complement Lisa Gamalski. We'll have two very good setters in the gym next year, two that are different but will complement each other."
On recruiting in the Midwest ... "The first year we were here we didn't have really strong ties in the area, but we have focused on developing ties in the last three years. We're starting to do more recruiting work close to home, which is good for the program and good for the athletes. These kids grow up wanting to play in the Big Ten, so we need to be recruiting them. We really feel good about what we're doing in Indiana and the Indianapolis area, the Chicago area has always been a big key for us, and local kids are always great. There are some really good athletes in Michigan in the upcoming year, and we are going to be there recruiting them."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
