UST Golden Spikers huddle during a loss to NU Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball Final Four.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
LIVE: UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball Final Four – NU vs UST
MANILA, Philippines — A third-place finish despite what Odjie Mamon believes to be the best University of Santo Tomas lineup ever was a bitter pill to swallow for the veteran UAAP tactician.
Mamon took the blame for the Golden Spikers’ Final Four exit following a 23-25, 23-25, 23-25 loss to reigning four-time champion National University in the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday.
READ: UAAP: NU Bulldogs reach 10th straight finals, eliminate UST
NU’s winning moment!
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,” said 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 missed a chance to enter the finals for the third straight season, Mamon still lauded his team for overcoming several first-round games without two-time MVP Josh Ybañez, who hurt 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 said in Filipino.
UST Golden Spikers coach Odjie Mamon during a UAAP men’s volleyball Final Four game against NU Bulldogs.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
“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 in the do-or-die game as the Bulldogs made the proper adjustments after the Golden Spikers forced a decider last 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,” said 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 yet, but he’s confident of his squad’s chances next season with a 26-player pool, which could still include Jay Rack De La Noche. De La Roche is pondering if he will return for Season 88 as he is 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,” said 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.”
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