Continued: Women's basketball: U's Jackie Voigt stepping into starting role

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Pam Borton looked Jackie Voigt squarely in the eye and asked if she was ready to make her first start for the Gophers' basketball team. Yes, the freshman said.

Then the coach asked Voigt if she was certain she was up to the task of starting in her initial college game, at Stanford, on the home court of the nation's No. 2-ranked team. Voigt calmly assured Borton that she was, then proved it in a cool debut last Friday. Tonight, the forward from Cottage Grove is expected to start the Gophers' home opener against North Dakota State, another big step in a season she has envisioned since committing to the Gophers two years ago.

"After a couple weeks of practice, I thought I was ready to step up and take that [starting] spot,'' Voigt said. "[Borton] had confidence in me, which felt good. She knew I was ready for it.

"I wasn't nervous; it didn't feel like starting would be a huge difference, because I'd been getting so much playing time. I'm super excited for [tonight], because there's nothing like playing at home.''

Voigt is the third true freshman to start the Gophers' season opener since Janel McCarville in 2001-02. Juniors Brittany McCoy and Zoe Harper both started the 2006-07 opener, when the Gophers had seven freshmen on their 11-player roster.

Voigt earned the spot with her versatility, eagerness to learn and long hours in the gym. She and fellow freshmen Kiara Buford and Brianna and Nicole Mastey spent much of their summer working out with the team, and Voigt often comes early and stays late for individual practice sessions.

A 6-1 power forward, Voigt can take the ball to the basket, shoot from three-point range and post up. Her wide range of skills and her swift adjustment have translated to plenty of playing time. She was on the floor for a team-high 32 minutes in last Friday's 68-55 loss at Stanford and logged 26 minutes in Sunday's 70-45 victory over Santa Clara.

Some rookie uncertainty played out in Voigt's shooting, as she made only three of 14 attempts in the two games. But she leads the Gophers with nine rebounds, and Borton said her well-rounded game represents the prototype the coach wants to fill her roster.

"As Jackie grows into this position, this is the direction our program wants to head, where we're able to have our [power forward] be able to take three-point shots and be more versatile from the perimeter,'' Borton said. "We need her to grow into that spot pretty quickly. I thought she handled [the first start] very well.''

Borton noted that only the most mature freshmen can handle the pressure that comes with starting their first college game. Voigt didn't feel the pressure last week, and she doesn't expect it to surface tonight, even with a posse of family and friends in attendance.

"The week before [the Stanford game], I was in a starting spot in practice, and it was pretty cool,'' she said. "Over the last two weeks, I've learned so much. It's a big difference from high school, but I was ready for it.''