MORAGA, Calif. – The Cornell women's volleyball team (3-2) posted a convincing 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-11) victory over Utah State in its second game of the Bay Area Invitational Saturday afternoon at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.

Led by Madison Baptiste, who registered a game-high 12 kills and a .429 hitting percentage to go along with nine digs and a block assist, the Big Red out-hit the Aggies, .378 to .030. Baptiste wasn't the only one who was firing on all cylinders, however, as Casey Justus (8), Jada Stackhouse (8), Joanna Chang (6), and Paige Becker (5), all registered at least a handful of kills.

Cornell also dominated at the net, out-blocking Utah State 12.0 to 4.0 over the course of the three-set contest. Headed by Stackhouse and Justus, Cornell notched 24 block assists as compared to Utah State's four. Even more impressive, Utah State was held block-less through the first two sets. Stackhouse and Justus finished the day with six block assists a piece, while Becker added five and Kelly Behrbaum chipped in three.  

Cornell came out on a mission today, getting on the board first in set one and never trailing for the rest of the set. Stackhouse and Jillienne Bennett helped the Big Red set the tone early on, notching a pair of block assists in the opening points to establish Cornell's presence at the net. It was Justus, however, whose presence could not be overlooked. Moving into a starting role today, Justus tallied two early kills and heated up as the set progressed, registering five kills in the opening set. Her teammates followed suit, with Baptiste (3), Chang (2), and Stackhouse (2) all notching multiple kills en route to a 25-13 set one win for the Big Red.

The beginning of the second set was much more back-and-forth, with both teams trading points over the opening rallies. A Chang kill and a Justus and Becker block got the Big Red back on track, giving Cornell a 5-3 lead. Justus' reign continued over the next few plays, as she registered a kill (her sixth of the match) and teamed up with Becker once again for a block assist. It was then that Baptiste took over, notching four kills over the next seven points to push the Cornell advantage to 13-6. Utah State took a time-out to try and stop the bleeding, but Cornell stayed the course. Highlighted by Baptiste's six kills in the second set, Cornell took set two, 25-21, taking a 2-0 lead for the game. Baptiste's success was largely due to Emma Worthington and Zoe Chamness, who notched 21 and 17 assists, respectively, for the game.

The Big Red took care of business in set three, jumping out to a fast 9-5 lead and forcing Utah State to burn a timeout. The Cornell attack was very balanced, with Chang, Stackhouse, Becker, Justice, and Baptiste all picking up at least one kill prior to the Aggie timeout. Becker, along with Lauren Stubbs, shined in the third set. Becker tallied three kills, and Stubbs came off the bench to register the final two points of the match, sealing the deal for Cornell. The Big Red took set three, 25-11, winning the game in three sets.

The Big Red will be back in action later tonight when they take on the Dons of San Francisco at 8 p.m. EDT in the finale of the Bay Area Invitational at the War Memorial Gym at the Sobrato Center in San Francisco.