Hawaii Olympic volleyball player gives social media followers an inside look at the games

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - It’s easy to see how the Shoji name carries a lot of weight in Hawaii volleyball.

Through 42 seasons as Rainbow Wahine head coach, Dave Shoji orchestrated a legendary career with 4 national championships and 12-hundred career victories.

Despite the lofty expectations that come with his surname, his sons Kawika and Erik have forged their own journeys.

“We want to represent our family as best as we can, so my dad kind of has a legacy here and we’re trying to create our own legacy, carve our own path,” Team USA libero Erik Shoji told Hawaii News Now. “I love playing for my family, my friends, this state and the country.”

The 6-foot libero is in the middle of this third Olympic games, helping lead the United states to a Bronze medal in 2016.

His previous two runs saw him play alongside his brother Kawika, who has since retired from professional volleyball.

“Playing with Kawika, it was so much fun out there, someone that you can rely on and trust and really just take the experience in all of these events and have so much fun with it, learn a lot and then have these memories forever,” Shoji said. “So it’s been really exciting to play with him and have our family around.”

This year, the team USA veteran is on a mission to hit the podium in Paris.

“Its always a different summer when we have the Olympics,” Shoji said. “Its a lot of preparation, a lot of focus, a lot of getting our team together back and working in our system and hopefully peaking in July and the beginning of August.”

Shoji’s time in Paris will be well documented, the libero has amassed over a million followers on Tik Tok and it was back during the Tokyo games that his popularity began to soar.

“We weren’t really allowed to do anything outside of play our matches and practice,” Shoji said. “We weren’t allowed to venture out into Tokyo, so it was just fun kind of documenting our experience in the village and going to matches.”

Now in Paris, Shoji is bringing his followers along with him to the Olympic Village.

Aside from the entertainment, Erik says its also a way for him to help grow the sport.

“They’re all seeing volleyball and I love that,” Shoji said. “Hopefully I’m helping to grow the game and increase its popularity.”

While also sharing his Hawaii roots as he travels the globe.

“It means everything to us,” Shoji said. “I think we’re some of the few players that truly play for our country, but then also for our state, I’m not sure everyone, you know, plays for their state like we do.”

Shoji and the United States continue pool play on Friday against Japan.

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