You could say that simply makes him old, but his outrageous winning percentage (.850) is more descriptive. Shoji, who turns 58 in December, is the winningest (percentage wise) active coach in Division I women's volleyball. He is one of only four to reach 800 victories and is second only to UCLA's Andy Banachowski in total victories.

Winning never gets old.

Even after 998 matches, this position he took on part time in 1975 has never been tedious. There are far too many elements to keep his interest on the volleyball court and off the golf course — his other passion.

Particularly in Hawai'i, the only place in America where volleyball is a revenue-producing sport. Every home match is on TV and absolutely every match on radio, and faithfully followed by fans from 'Aiea to Waimea and downtown Las Vegas.

"When you walk out and there are 6,000 people in the stands it doesn't get old," Shoji says. "That part gets your adrenalin going. If there were a couple hundred like most places, it might get old, but this just doesn't. And, there's excitement out there."

The caliber and charisma of the players on his teams dictate that. There have been 35 All-Americans, who have taken Hawai'i to four national titles and 25 20-win seasons.

There has never been a losing season, and only one missed postseason. The Rainbow Wahine have finished in the top five in all but six of the 22 AVCA season-ending polls

Winning never gets boring.

"I sure haven't been bored this year," says Shoji, whose latest volleyball vintage has started with eight victories. "The last few years ... the outcome in a lot of matches was not in question, but just the quality of our teams kept my interest up. I wanted to see how good they could get.

"Those years are easy, too. If you were losing, you would not be in this game 30 years. That would take a toll on you."

Even winning can take a toll. Shoji chose the Top-10 matches of his career based on the emotion involved, from elation to devastation. But there was some semblance of that emotion in 988 others.

Volleyball ebbs and flows and so do programs, usually. Under Shoji, it has flowed for most of 30 years. Even back in the '70's, when there was no scouting and Shoji still set up the net, counted the balls after warmups and fretted about whether the ticket takers and referees would show, the 'Bows flowed.

They won their first national title in his fifth year, the second and third three years later and the last in 1987. After losing in the 1988 NCAA Final, it took Hawai'i eight years to return to the final four. It has been back three times since.

Shoji has no regrets. The game is more technical now, but tactics and skills are basically the same. The most compelling part for Shoji remains the match itself.

"I like the meat of coaching," he says. "Making adjustments during the match, making the right subs and putting the right kids out there that give you the most chance for success. That part is not any different."

The winning part remains the same as well. If you are a Rainbow Wahine fan, ain't it grand?

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.

Dave Shoji's top 10 favorite matches

As University of Hawai'i coach Dave Shoji closes on his 1,000th career match, he reflects on his 10 favorites:

10. Hawai'i vs. Long Beach State — Dec. 7, 2000 (NCAA Regional semifinals, Honolulu)

After winning its first 27, UH suffered its only regular-season loss to the 49ers in the Long Beach State Thanksgiving Tournament. The Beach had also ended Hawai'i's season five consecutive times in the NCAA Tournament. This was different. The Rainbow Wahine overwhelmed LBSU — with All-Americans Cheryl Weaver, Tayyiba Haneef and Brittany Hochevar — 15-6 in the fifth. Shoji's sweetest memory is of Weaver and Haneef watching Lily Kahumoku's soft kill fall at match point.

9. Hawai'i vs. Long Beach State — Dec. 9, 1989 (NCAA Regional final, Stockton, Calif.)

In Teee Williams' final match, UH fell in five games and was denied a third consecutive final four — at Blaisdell Arena. Shoji still recalls the risers inserted at one end of the court, which made one playing surface shorter, a practice that is now illegal. With the 'Bows up 8-6 in the fifth, the teams switched sides and LBSU All-American Antoinnette White bombed her deep serves from the end of the long side, scoring the decisive points. "It was such a devastating loss because the whole team was looking forward to being able to come home for a shot at the national title," Shoji said.

8. Hawai'i at Nebraska — Dec. 14, 2002 (NCAA Regional final, Lincoln, Neb.)

After finishing the regular season and ranked No. 2, the Rainbow Wahine were given the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, forcing them to travel to Nebraska, where they played the third-ranked Cornhuskers on their decrepit, packed home floor. Hawai'i won in four to take Kim Willoughby home to the final four in New Orleans and leave decorated Nebraska seniors Greichaly Cepero, Amber Holmquist and Laura Pilakowski wondering what hit them. "Nebraska looked nearly unbeatable as they had a really big block, big hitters and a good all-around team," Shoji said. "But we were able to combat that with our defense, ball-handling and tenaciousness. It had to have been one of the most satisfying wins we've ever had."

7. Hawai'i vs. Michigan State — Dec. 8, 1995 (NCAA Regional final, Honolulu)

The unbeaten Rainbow Wahine were up 2-0 behind juniors Angelica Ljungquist and Robyn Ah Mow and senior Jenny Wilton at sold-out Stan Sheriff Center. Michigan State fought back to win the next three games and deny UH its first trip to the final four in seven years. "It had to be one of the most devastating losses in the program's history," Shoji said. "We really thought we were good enough to make a run at a national title, which made that loss so hurtful. I think losing that match gave our team the fire for our 1996 run (to the NCAA final).

6. Hawai'i vs. UCLA — Dec. 19, 1983 (NCAA Championship, Lexington, Ken.)

After winning the 1982 national title, the Rainbow Wahine swept Stanford and UCLA to successfully and swiftly defend. "That was probably one of the most dominating teams in NCAA history," Shoji said. "The final match against UCLA was over in around 1› hours. That group just gained so much confidence from winning it all the year before, plus they had so much leadership with seven seniors, that they just dominated people."

5. Hawai'i vs. Stanford — Dec. 19, 1987 (NCAA Championship, Indianapolis)

Hawai'i won its fourth, and last, national title by going 37-2. The Rainbow Wahine won the first two games, fell in the third then destroyed the Cardinal, 15-1, in the fourth. "Again, we had a bunch of seniors, and that particular class struggled greatly for their first three years," Shoji said. "It was good that they were finally able to put it all together for their senior year. It was also the first year we had Teee Williams, who was really the glue that we needed to win. But that team was special with Suzanne Eagye, who was one of the dominating blockers, Tita Ahuna and Mahina Eleneki, two locals that played a big role, a tough setter in Martina Cincerova and Diana Jessie, the Alaskan that was an All-American for us that year."

4. Hawai'i vs. Utah State — Nov. 7, 1979 (Klum Gym, Honolulu)

The Rainbow Wahine were starting to push towards a national title as they finished second or third from 1975 to '78. Utah State was one of the country's premier programs and defending national champion, but fell in five in a wild match that featured a walkout. "They were coached by Marilyn McReavy and Mary Jo Peppler, who were controversial in their own way," Shoji said. "Utah State was late to come onto the floor for the fifth game, so the referees decided to penalize them by charging them a timeout. They protested the loss of the timeout by walking out of the gym, planning to just forfeit the match. Our fans started to go nuts. At the time, Dr. Donnis Thompson was our Athletics Director, and she went out, chased down Utah State and convinced them to come back into the gym to finish the match. When they got back in, a raucous crowd at Klum Gym was there to greet them and we won the fifth game 15-7. It had to be one of the craziest things I had ever seen."

3. Hawai'i vs. Brigham Young — Nov. 28, 1998 (WAC Championship, Las Vegas)

In what some call "the greatest volleyball match ever played," the teams battled 3 hours and 38 minutes, the longest recorded match in NCAA history. The rally scoring fifth game went to Hawai'i 24-22 — after 15-12, 21-19, 13-15 and 16-18 preliminaries — to give the Rainbow Wahine their first WAC Tournament title. "We had players fighting cramps and exhaustion throughout that match, especially in the fifth game," Shoji recalled. "There were controversial calls that went both ways, and it was just mentally and physically draining. Just the sheer length of that match made it unique."

2. Hawai'i vs. Southern California — Dec. 19, 1982 (NCAA Championship, Stockton, Calif.)

The Rainbow Wahine, down 0-2, won the last three games against two-time defending national champion USC to capture their first NCAA Championship. Shoji earned Collegiate Volleyball Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors while Deitre Collins was national player of the year. "We had a good team in 1981 but fell short, losing to USC in the regionals," Shoji said. "To come back from 0-2 against a strong USC team was amazing. They had great players like Dana Smith and Tracy Clark. But we were able to pull through and take that one."

1. Hawai'i vs. Utah State — Dec. 8, 1979 (AIAW Championship, Carbondale, Ill.)