No. 15 Statesmen Open Season with Pair of Sweeps on the Road
Sylvania, Ohio–The No. 15 William Penn men’s volleyball team opened the 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion, earning two straight-set victories over RV Lourdes and No. 12 Hope International on the opening weekend of the season.
vs. RV Lourdes, 3-0
The Statesmen (1-0) battled early with Lourdes (1-1), trading points throughout the opening set before breaking an 18-18 tie with a decisive 7-2 run to secure a 25-20 win.
Set two followed a similar script early, deadlocked at 8-8, before William Penn surged ahead behind a 19-11 advantage. Lourdes mounted a late push to close the gap to 21-16, but the Statesmen remained composed to take the set, 25-18.
William Penn carried its momentum into the third, building a 17-12 lead. The Gray Wolves responded to trim the deficit to 18-16, but the comeback fell short as the Statesmen closed out the sweep with a 25-23 victory.
Offensively, William Penn held a 36-28 edge in kills while posting a .247 attack percentage compared to Lourdes’ .116. Both teams struggled with errors, with Lourdes holding a narrow 18-16 advantage in attack miscues.
Emilio Spanner (Jr., Sint Eustatius, Sports Management) led the Statesmen with 13 kills on a .400 hitting clip, while Ben Cemeno-Castillo (Sr., Joliet, Ill., Business Management) added 10. Britten Beallis (Sr., Naperville, Ill., Sports Management) was a force at the net with five blocks.
Brady Zell (So., Wales, Wis., Business Management) directed the offense with 25 assists. Defensively, Spanner paced the team with nine digs, while Zell and Sam Spaude (Grad., Cedarburg, Wis., Master’s of Sports Management) chipped in seven apiece.
vs. No. 12 Hope International, 3-0
William Penn (2-0) faced a test early in the opener against Hope International (0-3), building a 15-10 lead before the Royals responded to knot the score at 15-15. The teams traded points down the stretch until the Statesmen capitalized on two HIU errors to claim the first set, 25-22.
The second set saw William Penn take control early, turning a 15-10 edge into a commanding 20-10 lead. Hope International attempted to rally, but the Statesmen closed the frame convincingly, 25-14.
In the finale, William Penn jumped out to a 6-0 start. The Royals clawed back to within 17-15, but an 8-3 closing run sealed the sweep.
The Statesmen dominated offensively, outpacing Hope International 41-25 in kills and posting a .344 attack percentage to the Royals’ .079. William Penn limited itself to just 10 attack errors, while Hope International finished with 18.
Cemeno-Castillo led all hitters with 13 kills at a .429 clip. Spanner followed with eight kills while hitting .412, and Beallis added seven kills on a .545 percentage.
Zell once again orchestrated the offense with 32 assists and contributed defensively with 10 digs. João Gabriel Filippelli (Jr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Business Management) anchored the back row with a match-high 12 digs.
“Great opening weekend for this group,” said Head Coach Luke Bentley. “Proud of the work they’ve put in so far and excited to see how they progress.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Bourbonnais, Ill., to face Olivet Nazarene next Friday at 7 p.m. in nonconference action.
