Asian Games-bound Odjie Mamon points UST to No. 1 spot

FILE — Volleyball coach Odjie Mamon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) discovered what it takes to overcome strong opponents and are now getting the hang of riding a scorching run in the men’s V-League Collegiate Challenge.

And the Golden Spikers have no plans of letting go of that five-game win streak with the No. 1 spot ahead of the semifinals currently in their grasp.

Not with UST coach Odjie Mamon constantly urging his team to leave no room for errors. “I told them that they are giving the opportunity to the opponent and [reminded them] what would happen if we have that (opportunity from errors); so they should let our foe [be the ones to] commit the errors,” Mamon said after handing Ateneo its first loss, 25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 25-15, on Sunday in front of a Thomasian-filled Paco Arena.

“If the set is not good enough, just throw [the ball] to the opponents. That’s why I was getting frustrated and immediately subbed out whoever was committing errors… there are other players on the roster,” said Mamon, who has been working to steer the Golden Spikers’ away from the “most generous” in errors tag.

Solving the puzzle

UST, whose only loss was its opening game against La Salle, was the first team to solve the previously undefeated Blue Eagles’ puzzle after finishing with only 27 errors, a stark contrast to UST’s earlier games which is something that Mamon was happy to see reflected on the stats sheet.

The Thomasian mentor, who has been called to lead the men’s volleyball team in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, credited the win to a number of factors including an incoming rookie and their scouting report of what has so far been a dominating run for Ateneo.

“We studied [how] Ateneo is playing [in preparation for the matchup] because the players also wanted to get the No. 1 spot going to the semifinals… that was our motivation,” Mamon said before revealing to the Inquirer that he would be missing the playoffs to serve national team duty.

Looking forward to leading the men’s volleyball team’s first appearance in the quadrennial games after 49 years, Mamon is confident that he is leaving the Golden Spikers in good hands. He said the UST coaching staff, filled with head coaches of other squads, will continue to implement their program versus the tough competition ahead.

The Golden Spikers’ last elimination clash will be against bottom-dweller San Beda University on Friday, when Mamon expects to see newcomer middle blocker Trevor Valera continue his excellent performance.

“What he (Valera) is doing is just playing basic volleyball so his performance today (Sunday) will serve as my example to the more experienced players,” he said.

“[I will say to the others] ‘This is what I want to happen and he is just following the system while you guys who have previous experience are doing something against the system,’” Mamon said. INQ