Posted on: Saturday, January 1, 2005
Rainbows responded to Shoji's guidance
Advertiser Staff
In his 30th season, and with just one returning starter, it would have been easy for Dave Shoji to declare a rebuilding year.
The Rainbow Wahine had been 34-2 and 36-2 and had consecutive final-four appearances in the previous two years with two All-America first-team players who finished their eligibility in 2004.
The "rebuilding" consisted of finishing a perfect regular season (28-0) and a No. 1 ranking before finishing 30-1. The Rainbow Wahine never dominated, but always found a way to win, until falling in the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Part of it had to do with Shoji's experience in making the right moves.
"This is probably the unlikeliest team to go undefeated," Shoji said after finishing the regular season. "I don't think anybody ever thought that would happen. The staff has coached hard, but it's not anything we haven't done before. I give the players credit. The players developed. They got better."
Shoji, 58, the winningest (percentage wise) active coach in Division I women's volleyball, got help from associate head coach Charlie Wade and assistant coach Kari Ambrozich, who filled in twice when Shoji's father, Kobe, became seriously ill and later died on Nov. 13 at age 84.
It was only the second time Shoji missed a match in his UH coaching career.
He returned to guide the Rainbow Wahine through the postseason, which ended in a grueling five-game loss to Wisconsin at Green Bay, Wis.
With all but two seniors expected to return, Shoji knows Hawai'i will "definitely not sneak up on anybody" next season.
But you can almost guarantee Shoji will build on that.
But that's not Shoji, and it was the furthest thing from the mind of his University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine volleyball team.
Dave Shoji
