UAAP: Coach takes blame as ‘best ever’ UST lineup puts 3rd

UST Golden Spikers huddle all the way through a loss to NU Bulldogs within the UAAP Season 87 males’s volleyball Final Four.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.internet

LIVE: UAAP Season 87 males’s volleyball Final Four – NU vs UST

MANILA, Philippines — A 3rd-place end in spite of what Odjie Mamon believes to be the most efficient University of Santo Tomas lineup ever was once a sour tablet to swallow for the veteran UAAP tactician.

Mamon took the blame for the Golden Spikers’ Final Four go out following a 23-25, 23-25, 23-25 loss to reigning four-time champion National University within the UAAP Season 87 males’s volleyball match on Wednesday.

READ: UAAP: NU Bulldogs achieve 10th instantly finals, do away with UST

NU’s profitable second!

The Bulldogs save their five-peat dream after overcoming the UST Golden Spikers. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/bjtWQU0KyG

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) May 7, 2025

“I stand by my statement that this is the best Golden Spikers lineup ever. I just wasn’t able to polish the boys’ potential to the max,” mentioned Mamon. “I’m bitter because we had high expectations. I did not want us to temper our expectations this season unlike the previous two years where we made the finals.”

Although they neglected a possibility to go into the finals for the 3rd instantly season, Mamon nonetheless lauded his staff for overcoming a number of first-round video games with out two-time MVP Josh Ybañez, who harm his ankle on opening day. 

“I’m not disappointed with our performance or the result, especially since our main scorer missed four or five games. But finishing only on the podium? That stings. I’ll take full responsibility for that.  I’ll be the one to explain things on behalf of the boys,” he mentioned in Filipino.

UST Golden Spikers trainer Odjie Mamon all the way through a UAAP males’s volleyball Final Four recreation towards NU Bulldogs.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.internet

“It’s tough to speak after a loss. I don’t want to make any excuses. We’ll still talk about how to properly close out the season.”

Mamon admitted that NU figured them out within the do-or-die recreation because the Bulldogs made the right kind changes after the Golden Spikers compelled a decider closing Sunday.

READ: UAAP: UST topples NU, forces Final Four do-or-die

“NU really came in prepared. You could see it from the first set. I had to make adjustments in the second and third. Their rotation even matched ours at one point, starting from the same positions,” mentioned Mamon.

“They clearly wanted the win more. They committed only 16 errors in the whole match and made the most out of their height and blocking advantage, Josh (Ybañez) and Jay Rack (De La Noche) each got blocked twice. Our game plan was to go for combination plays, but we ended up playing through the wings instead.”

Mamon hasn’t signed his re-appointment papers but, however he’s assured of his squad’s probabilities subsequent season with a 26-player pool, which might nonetheless come with Jay Rack De La Noche. De La Roche is thinking about if he’s going to go back for Season 88 as he’s set to graduate academically after this season.

“I have 26 players in the pool. Many are on their third playing year, and some are seniors,” mentioned Mamon. “We’ll sit down and decide who we’ll invite back. But for sure, there will be a revamp. We’ve got new recruits coming in, especially from the UST boys’ volleyball team.”