“This group is ready.”

Those four words from Minnesota Gophers head coach Keegan Cook carry a lot of weight. Cook will likely be starting five freshmen in the No. 4 seed’s opening NCAA Tournament match against Fairfield on Friday at Maturi Pavilion.

It has been a mixed bag all season for Minnesota (22-9), which entered the year with a talented roster and a redshirt freshman setter in Stella Swenson. She turned out to be an anchor for the Gophers in her first season of action due to injuries to four starting-caliber players around the setter.

Cook said it has been a year like no other, and he appreciates his young players’ ability to learn on the fly in the Big Ten, winning many matches along the way.

“You have a team, you lose a team, then you have a new team of people, and I just thin

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