Hawaiian Punch: Examining The Culture Of Toughness, Camaraderie Infusing U.S. Volleyball
Four of the 12 members of the U.S. Olympic team have connections to the Aloha State.
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Athlete Bio#
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Height
6'0"
Age
35
Hometown
Honolulu, HI
Education
Stanford University
Quick Facts
- Parents are Dave and Mary Shoji
- Father retired as the University of Hawaii women's volleyball coach in 2016 where he won four national titles in 34 seasons and left coaching with the most wins in NCAA DI women’s Volleyball history
- Mary played basketball at the University of Hawaii
- Older brother, Kawika, also played volleyball for Stanford and they are now teammates on the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team
- Has an older sister, Cobey
- Began playing volleyball in 1998 with Outrigger Canoe Club
- Favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird
- Favorite food is sushi
- Favorite athletes are Marat Safin and Serena Williams
- Has his own coaching and consulting business, which he runs by video chat even when he is out of the country
- Competes most of the year in Novy Urengoy, Russia for Volleyball Club Fakel Novy Urengoy
Olympic Experience
- 3-time Olympian; 2-time Olympic medalist (2 bronze)
- Olympic Games Paris 2024, bronze (Team - Men)
- Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, 10th (Team - Men)
- Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016, bronze (Team - Men)
World Championships Experience
- Most recent: 2022 – 6th (Team - Men)
- Years of participation: Team - Men 2014, 2018, 2022
- Medals: 1 (1 bronze)
- Bronze – 2018 (Team - Men)
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USA VolleyballAthlete News#
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Hawaiian Punch: Examining The Culture Of Toughness, Camaraderie Infusing U.S. Volleyball
Four of the 12 members of the U.S. Olympic team have connections to the Aloha State.
