Belen Jesuit breaks through to earn elusive berth at state volleyball finals
William Essig started playing for the Belen Jesuit volleyball team five years ago while in the sixth grade.
In that time, he’s seen the Wolverines become one of the better teams in the state.
But a scene like the one he was involved in Friday night, celebrating with his teammates while fans rushed the court was something he only dreamed would happen.
And yet it became a reality for Essig and Belen Jesuit following a hard-fought 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-19 victory over Varela in the Region 4-2A final.
The Wolverines (24-6) secured their first trip to the state tournament since 2019. That season, the state tournament was an eight-team format. Friday’s victory marked the first time Belen will be among the final four teams remaining.
“I’m so happy because I never thought this would happen,” Essig said. “It felt like a barrier we couldn’t pass with teams like Southwest and now Varela, which was very good. It’s insane. We just had to be a team.”
Belen Jesuit will be the top seed in the Class 2A bracket and will face No. 4 seed Gulf Breeze (21-5) in a state semifinal at either 4 or 7 next Friday at Polk State College in Winter Haven. Archbishop McCarthy, which beat St. Thomas Aquinas to win the Region 3-2A title on Thursday, Winter Park Lake Howell in the other semifinal. The winners will then play in the 2A state final on Saturday, May 16 at 7.
The Wolverines beat Gulf Breeze 2-1 in a three-set match at the Freedom Invitational in Orlando on March 28.
“I’m at a loss for words. A lot of emotions right now. A lot of guys have been here working since the sixth grade,” Belen coach Freideman Sifontes said. “It’s amazing, but we have to finish the job.”
Belen Jesuit played like a cohesive unit to bounce back after losing the first set.
Essig and other contributors like junior Justin Garcia balanced the Wolverines’ attack up front to counter the Vipers (23-6). The setting of senior William Pedraja proved key as well.
“It was just trust and confidence in this group and they handle the hard things well. We’ve just kept saying let’s be 1-0 and get it done,” Sifontes said. “We played a hard schedule and a lot of underclassmen are on this team, but they had experience from last year.
“The way we pass gets our middles involved and the key to everything is our serve/receive.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 10:50 PM.
