RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesRarely does a student-athlete get the perfect ending to a college career like the one Kawika Shoji did at Stanford in 2010.
Three years after a 3-25 season as a true freshman, Shoji, the AVCA National Player of the Year, guided the Cardinal to an NCAA championship in his own gym at Maples Pavilion when Stanford swept Ohio State and Penn State to finish off a storybook “worst-to-first” run that is still remembered today.
Earlier this week, the school announced Kawika and younger brother Erik, who was a sophomore on that team, would be the seventh and eighth volleyball players selected to the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony will happen Sept. 25, and the two will also be honored the following day during halftime of the Stanford football game against Georgia Tech.
“It’s really an honor and really humbling,” Kawika said Friday. “Whenever you have these honors and awards it’s really a time to reflect and think about all of the people who have helped you get there. That’s what these things do for me.”
Both Kawika and Erik were informed of their selections weeks before it was made official.
Now 16 years removed from that national championship, the first memories for Kawika looking back on his college career were those three days in May when his sport took over the entire Stanford campus.
“The whole campus was galvanized around men’s volleyball,” Kawika said. “At Stanford, it’s a little bit different than at (the University of Hawaii). Men’s volleyball isn’t one of the premier sports and so that was really fun to just get the campus going and winning it in front of 7,500 people on home soil. Campus was just on fire. That run was really special.”
A two-time AVCA first-team All-American, Kawika went on to play with Team USA and won an Olympic bronze medal in 2016. He also played in 2020 in the Tokyo Olympics.
Erik Shoji, who played on both of those teams, also won bronze with Team USA in 2024 and is still playing as he prepares to make a run at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“It is such a great honor to be inducted into the Stanford HOF,” Erik said via text. “Stanford has such a rich tradition in athletics and I am truly grateful to be recognized within it.
“Also, to be inducted alongside my brother is so amazing. I couldn’t have done anything without him and we are so proud to be representing the Stanford men’s volleyball program.”
Erik recently played in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, helping Team USA reach the final with a five-set win over Japan before losing in five to Poland.
The tournament final was held in China, which resulted in matches played in the middle of the night in Hawaii.
Kawika, who retired from competition in 2022, remains a fan and even stayed up late into the night to watch the matches live.
“The level of men’s volleyball at the national team level is really, really remarkable,” Kawika said. “I did watch in the middle of the night a couple of nights supporting Erik and my old teammates and they had an incredible run.
“In terms of moving forward and the focus is L.A. in 2028 … the cornerstone kind of pieces are still Erik, (setter) Micah (Christenson, a Kamehameha alumnus) and Matt Anderson. I think paying attention to Matt’s legs over the next couple of years as he’s rounding into his 40s will be interesting to watch, but Erik and Micah have incredible old man games. The precision is at the highest of levels. I think they are still the two best players at their own positions.”
In May 2021, Stanford reversed a decision to cut 11 varsity programs, including men’s volleyball.
In the year between the announcement and subsequent change of mind, roughly $7 million was raised to save men’s volleyball alone.
The school has won two national championships in the sport with three runner-up finishes, including the last one in 2014.
“The program has gone through some hardships,” Kawika said. “Our program got put on the chopping block, which was really tough. It took a lot of effort, a lot of fundraising, a lot of behind-the-scenes work to get it back and now the department is really pouring into the Olympics sports, which I think all departments need to do. That’s something that is a cornerstone for our Olympic movement, which is the college landscape.”
The entire Shoji family, including parents Dave and Mary, are expected to attend next month’s ceremony.
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