Dave Shoji, legendary coach for the University of Hawai‘i women’s volleyball program, looks back at four decades of coaching to tell his story along with that of the Rainbow Wahine, four-time national champions and consistently among the top-ranked teams in college sports. With the assistance of longtime beat writer Ann Miller, Shoji provides an exclusive look at the state’s perennially successful athletic team. His memoir traces the history and rise of the program—from 1975, when he was hired as a part-time coach by women’s athletic director Donnis Thompson and matches were held in the “sweatbox” of Klum Gym; through the late 1970s and the 1980s, which saw the start of the Booster Club and excitement of playing in front of sell-out crowds at Honolulu’s Blaisdell Arena; into the 1990s with the team’s move to its current home at the Stan Sheriff Center, attracting the sport’s largest and most devoted following; to the landmark 2013 season when Shoji became the winningest coach in NCAA history and on his way to a fortieth year with the Rainbow Wahine program.
Interviews with memorable players, family, and assistant and rival coaches, together with over 100 action photos—plus twenty more in a color insert—bring back both thrilling and poignant memories of the greatest moments of Rainbow Wahine volleyball. The comprehensive yearly statistics, full player rosters, and handy index make the book a needed reference for trivia buffs. A keepsake for fans and players alike, Wahine Volleyball: 40 Years Coaching Hawai‘i’s Team will delight any sports enthusiast as well as readers who enjoy first-person remembrances of what makes Hawai‘i unique.
