Shojis, Christensen - Olympics articles

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Trio heading to Rio

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

June 22, 2016


COURTESY FVIB
Kawika Shoji, Micah Christenson and Erik Shoji were part of the U.S. men’s volleyball team that defeated Argentina last September in Tokyo to clinch a spot in this year’s Olympics.



Hawaii’s rich Olympic volleyball history added an unprecedented chapter on Tuesday when three Hawaii-born players were named to the U.S. men’s team that will compete at the Summer Games in Brazil this August.

Setters Micah Christenson (Kamehameha) and Kawika Shoji (‘Iolani) as well as libero Erik Shoji (Punahou) comprise a quarter of the 12-man roster announced by USA Volleyball. Not only is it the first time that three Hawaii-born volleyball players will compete at the same Olympics, but the Shoji brothers become the first to do so at the same Games for the U.S.

“It’s unbelievable to represent our home like this, to represent our island and culture and everything that comes with it,” Christenson said in an interview from Rome, where the U.S. is competing in FIVB World League. “Hawaii is home no matter where we live or compete. It’s a privilege to be on this team and we will do the best we possibly can to make Hawaii proud.”

The three are among eight making their Olympic debut. The average age of the U.S. squad is 27.8 and there are nine players younger than 30, including the three from Hawaii.

The players learned of their selection on Sunday while in Brazil for World League play. Dave and Mary Shoji received a call from their sons with the news but were sworn to secrecy until Tuesday’s official announcement.

“It was a nice Father’s Day present,” said Dave Shoji, entering his 42nd season as coach of the University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team. “Hawaii has had a rich history of Olympians and great volleyball players, but it’s amazing that three could make the team.

“It is pretty cool.”

“I’m speechless,” added Mary Shoji, a former Wahine basketball player. “We’re so excited for all the boys, but having three representing Hawaii is so amazing.

“As parents, you know how hard they’ve worked for this. This has been their dream for our boys for a long time, and for them to be able to share it on Father’s Day was special.”

Dave and Mary Shoji had booked their travel to Brazil a while ago “with a little trepidation because you never know for sure,” Dave Shoji said. “But you had to, because if you tried to now, you probably can’t get accommodations.”

Shoji will miss the first two weeks of the Rainbow Wahine’s preseason workouts but had anticipated that possibility. He said all the practices have been planned out and there will be daily Skype sessions.

“I have confidence in my staff and players,” Shoji said. “We’re all on the same page.”

Hawaii opens preseason practice Aug. 8, with the Wahine’s first match Aug. 26 against Wisconsin. The U.S. begins Olympic pool play against Canada in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 7, with competition running through Aug. 21.

Past Olympians

Nearly two dozen volleyball players who were either born in Hawaii or had Hawaii ties have previously competed in the Games. The last to do so at the 2012 London Olympics were all Hawaii-born: Lindsey Berg (Punahou), Tamari Miyashiro (Kalani) and Clay Stanley (Kaiser).

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‘The Brothers’ bring Olympic volleyball back in Hawaii spotlight

By Cindy Luis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

July 31, 2016


PHOTOS COURTESY U.S. MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Olympic volleyball players Micah Christenson, Kawika Shoji and Erik Shoji live together in Anaheim, Calif.



They are the future. They are the past. And, at these Olympic Games, the trio of Hawaii-born players are very much the present for USA Volleyball.

Setters Micah Christenson (Kamehameha) and Kawika Shoji (‘Iolani) and libero Erik Shoji (Punahou) — all under the age of 29 — made history when they were named to the U.S. roster, the first time that three players born in Hawaii are on the same Olympic team. The Shojis doubled up that history by becoming the first brothers on the same U.S. volleyball squad at a Games.

Hawaii has a rich and deep history in Olympic volleyball, beginning with the inaugural men’s team in 1964 that featured Roosevelt High grads Pedro “Pete” Velasco Jr. and the late Jacob “Jake” Highland in Tokyo. In Beijing 2008, three-time Olympian Clay Stanley (Kaiser) was named the most outstanding player of the tournament as the U.S. won its first gold since 1988; and both women’s setters were Hawaii prep products — Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (McKinley) and Lindsey Berg (Punahou) — who, with University of Hawaii All-Americans Heather Bown and Kim Willoughby, earned silver, the U.S.’s highest placing since 1984, when it also finished second.

“We’ve known for a long time that Hawaii has been an incredible talent pool,” U.S. men’s Olympics coach John Speraw said. “Over the years, so many impactful players have come from the island, impacting NCAA volleyball, programs that I have coached …. UC Irvine and UCLA … and at other schools.

“The fact that we have three on the Olympic team doesn’t surprise anybody. Volleyball is part of the Hawaii culture and it shows on and off the court. We have three gifted players and teammates, with the emphasis on teammates.”

The three players consider themselves more than that. They are known as “The Brothers,” with Christenson hanai-ed into the Shoji ohana.

They learned about their Olympic selection on Father’s Day while in Brazil for the World League. Roommates Kawika Shoji and Christenson were joined by Erik Shoji “and we had a quick little celebration together,” Kawika said. “It’s a tremendous honor for all of us and the state of Hawaii. We are really proud to represent our home and country.

“It’s a special thing to go through these international experiences with your own brother and best friend. Now we will get to play in the pinnacle event for our sport. It’s a testament to hard work but also to all of our coaches, teammates and schools. And our entire family.”

The Shojis grew up with volleyballs for toys and Klum Gym as a playpen. The sons of UH volleyball coach Dave Shoji and former Rainbow Wahine basketball player Mary Tennefos Shoji were born to the game with success at the club, high school, college, pro and international levels.

The Shoji brothers went on to All-America careers at Stanford, winning the NCAA championship in 2010. Christenson, the youngest setter to play for the U.S. in a world championship (Boys Youth National Team at age 16), was a three-time All-American and four-year starter at USC.

Christensen was more of a basketball player early, following in the footsteps of his father, Robert, who played at Hawaii Hilo. But there was plenty of volleyball influence: Mother Charlene Kahuanui Christenson was an All-American and three-time national champion for the Vulcans.

“Basketball was his first sport, his first love, but it’s hard to get to the next level out of Hawaii,” Charlene Christenson said. “Micah had this opportunity in volleyball beginning with High Performance and he recognized that he could play volleyball at a very high level.

“We had thought that maybe 2020 (Olympics) was more realistic, but when he started playing with the national team his junior year in college and we saw how well he was performing, Rio seemed possible.”

That the “three brothers” are going makes it extra special, Charlene Christenson said.

“They are very close, work so well together,” she said. “Kawika’s been such a support for Micah when he’s on the court, giving really good information and feedback.”

The competition for the setting spot creates an interesting dynamic. Micah Christenson has gotten the majority of the playing time, but it has only created a stronger bond as the two work toward the goal of Olympic gold.

“Having him with me is so great — Kawika sees the game so well and we can talk strategy,” Christenson said. “He’s got a great volleyball mind.

“The three of us live together (in Anaheim, Calif.) and it’s been great to have guys I grew up with. We’re really close and now to share this bond of going to the Olympics together is very special.”

Speraw has gone with the youth movement this quadrennial. The average age is 281⁄2 — Kawika Shoji’s age — with 38-year-old veteran Reid Priddy skewing the average; Christenson turned 23 in May and Erik Shoji will be 27 on Aug. 26.

It paid off with the U.S. qualifying for the Rio Olympics — its ninth consecutive appearance — when it won the FIVB World Cup last September. The Americans had a disappointing showing at the recent World League, tying for fifth after losing their last two matches to Italy and Brazil, two teams in the U.S.’s pool in Brazil.

Erik Shoji, considered one of the top liberos in the world, is the only libero on the American roster. Christenson likely will be the starting setter when the U.S. opens pool play against Canada on Aug. 7 at Ginasio do Maracanazinho, but “Kawika is a very viable option for us,” said Speraw, who played Shoji in two matches in Cuba while Christenson rested with a nagging injury. “The best part is he is such a great teammate — when he’s not playing he’s watching. It’s like having another coach in the box.

“Micah’s ability to block and his serve gives him the edge over Kawika, but when we need Kawika, he’s always ready to go. This is the first time that I’ve coached second-generation volleyball players (Dave Shoji was an All-America setter at UC Santa Barbara) and you know they literally grew up playing the game. And the sons of coaches see the things at another level. You see that in Erik, who’s right up there with the best in the world.”

The Shojis and Christensons will be in Brazil to watch their sons. Dave Shoji will miss the Wahine’s two weeks of two-a-day practices.

“We’re getting more excited as the days get closer,” said Shoji, who leaves Wednesday with his wife. “The boys have worked so hard to make their dream come true.

“For volleyball, this is the world championship, the pinnacle. It’s going to be a great experience for all of us.”

Ex-UH staffer one of two Olympic scout coaches

Anton Willert Brams, former team manager and video coordinator for the UH men’s and women’s volleyball teams, is one of two scout coaches for the U.S. men’s Olympic team. The German national has been the U.S. men’s national team technical coordinator since 2013.


MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
At Ginasio do Maracanazinho

Pool play

>> Aug. 7: vs. Canada

>> Aug. 9: vs. Italy

>> Aug. 11: vs. Brazil

>> Aug. 13: vs. France

>> Aug. 15: vs. Mexico

>> Aug. 17: Quarterfinals

>> Aug. 19: Semifinals

>> Aug. 21: Finals

HAWAII PLAYERS
>> Micah Christenson (Kamehameha)

>> Erik Shoji (Punahou)

>> Kawika Shoji (‘Iolani)

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Shojis and Christenson love the energy of the Olympic Village

By Kawika Shoji

Honolulu Star-Advertiser

August 3, 2016



COURTESY FIVB
Kawika Shoji, Micah Christenson and Erik Shoji with the FIVB World Cup trophy the U.S. men’s volleyball team won in Tokyo in September 2015.



Hello!

We are really excited to share our experiences from the Olympic Games over the course of the next three weeks. Because it is extremely rare that three athletes from Hawaii represent the USA on the same team at the same Olympic Games, I thought it would be fun to personally tell our stories and update the people back home on what is going on in Rio.

On Sunday, we spent the day in Houston for processing.

Processing included introductory meetings and inspirational speeches from three-time gold medalist sprinter Gail Devers and three-time medalist skater Joey Cheek.

It also included our personal fitting for our Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Omega and other sponsored Team USA gear.

One of the most memorable events from the day was watching the Ralph Lauren staff attempt to fit our 6-foot-10 middle blocker Max Holt for his opening ceremony coat. They just couldn’t get it right! I am guessing Max isn’t quite the typical fit, so they needed about an hour just for his coat.

I think Erik and I were out of there in just under 30 minutes, one of the perks of being the smallest guys on the team! Normal sizing usually works.

Processing finished up after about three hours, and as I was leaving, I happened to bump into Coach K from the basketball team. Being a big Duke basketball fan and predicting that I would probably not see him again in Rio, I quickly decided to ask for a photo. He accepted, and while I was taking the picture with him, I mentioned that I had a similar one with him from 1994 when he brought his team out to the Rainbow Classic.

On Monday, after a 10-hour flight, we finally arrived in Rio and headed straight to the Olympic Village.

We had the day to ourselves, so we used it to explore. The village scenery is quite special and massive. There are 31 buildings, basically hotels, lined up in a circle, with a park running through the middle. The park includes tennis courts, a running path, a mini soccer field, exercise equipment, a skate park and a pond.

On our way back after dinner a few of us walked through the park, and we stumbled upon Novak Djokovic stretching by himself. We decided to snag a picture with him, and he proceeded to talk to us about international volleyball and Team Serbia. He knew his stuff! I felt bad for my brother Erik, the biggest tennis fan on the team, for missing out on the experience.

The outskirts of the village include a McDonald’s, the largest cafeteria you can imagine, a bank and a general store, and luscious green mountains scale the backside of the village just beyond its fence. It is majestic. Perhaps the most impressive thing inside the village, however, is its energy. People are excited. People are exercising, stretching, laughing and mingling. Flags are waving, and color is everywhere. The positive vibes are palpable, and we are soaking it all in.

At the end of the night, Micah and David Lee, another middle on our team, ran into the USA women’s gymnastics team in the training room. Simone Biles, our top gymnast, then asked David for a photo of them standing back to back. The 6’8” Lee and 4’9” Biles had quite the laugh!

Micah, Erik and I are really proud to be representing our state of Hawaii and the USA at the world’s greatest sporting event. Thank you for all your support and for taking the time to read this. I will check in again in a few days.

Aloha,

Kawika


U.S. Olympic team setter Kawika Shoji is blogging from the Rio Games for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. His items will run occasionally, but readers can follow him daily on Twitter @kshoji7 and Instagram at kshoji7. Follow Hawaii’s other two volleyball Olympians on Twitter: Erik Shoji @shojinator and Micah Christenson @mchristenson5

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some of the tweets that kawika shoji mentioned in his blog entry above:

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Hawaii volleyball trio gear up for Rio Olympics opening ceremony

Thursday, August 4th 2016, 10:24 pm HST

By Collin Harmon, Sports AnchorCONNECT


Christenson, and Kawika Shoji in Rio de Janeiro


Micah Christenson and Erik Shoji sightsee in Rio


selfie with Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic


Excerpt:

"HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
Tomorrow night all eyes will be on Rio de Janeiro with an estimated three billion people expected to tune in to the opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio Games.

"Just to feel that sense of pride, and that the Olympics are actually starting, that's just going to be a crazy feeling," said Erik Shoji.

Erik, older brother Kawika, and Micah Christenson are part of a U.S. men's indoor volleyball team of which a quarter of the roster hails from Hawaii. For the trio, this marks their first Olympic Games--- an accomplishment that truly started to sink in en route to Brazil."


Full story: www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/32691942/hawaii-volleyball-trio-gear-up-for-rio-olympics-opening-ceremony

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Fargo family goes to Rio to cheer on US Olympic Volleyball team

By Kevin Wallevand on Aug 3, 2016 at 10:34 p.m.


Excerpt:

"Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - Michael and Kyle Vandevoort of Fargo know "them" as first cousins who fished and played at the lake.

Jeanne Tennefos knows them as the grandkids from Hawaii. All will be watching the US Olympic Volleyball team in coming days as they compete in Rio.


That is because two of the standout players have family here in Fargo. Some are headed to Rio. Others will be cheering on in their living room.

When Mary Tennefos left Fargo to play basketball in Hawaii, the Oak Grove graduate's life changed. She never left the island. And now two of her sons are preparing to compete in the Olympics. 27-year old Erik and 28 year old Kaveeka Shoji are standout volleyball players, some of the best in the world.

And so that is why cousins Kyle and Michael Vandevoort, of Fargo, along with their mother, Judie, are headed to Rio. It's a family thing."


Full story and video: www.wday.com/news/north-dakota/4087659-fargo-family-goes-rio-cheer-us-olympic-volleyball-team

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Ceremony, village and fellow athletes enjoyed by local trio

By Kawika Shoji Special to the Star-Advertiser

August 7, 2016


Courtesy Kawika Shoji
Micah Christenson, Erik Shoji and Kawika Shoji posed for a photo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.



Due to some Olympic rules and regulations, I won’t be able to “blog” for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, but I will be able to answer the staff’s questions for you all. Here are my responses to some fun questions!

Question: We saw that you participated in the Opening Ceremony. How was the experience?

Answer: I know that I speak for all three of us when I say the Opening Ceremony was a blast. It was about a seven-hour process. We met in the village with the rest of Team USA, bused to the Maracanazinho arena (our volleyball arena), waited in the arena, and then walked to the Maracana stadium to then walk into the ceremony. It was a time when athletes from all over the world and from different events mingled and celebrated not only the start of the Games, but their hard work and dedication that brought us to this point. Micah, Erik, and I walked next to stars like Michael Phelps, Kyrie Irving, Rickie Fowler and Serena Williams. It didn’t matter what sport you play, how many social media followers you have, or where you are from. We are all Olympians. And we were all enjoying the moment.

Q: How was the actual ceremony?

A: I can’t really describe what the moment felt like when we entered the stadium. The crowd was electric. They didn’t stop screaming, and we didn’t either. We walked onto the field, filming, hugging, crying, and chanting, “USA! USA! USA!” We tried to throw up as many shakas as we could, too! I have never seen or felt a crowd quite like it.

Q: Any new updates from the village?

A: We actually moved out of the village yesterday into a hotel closer to our playing venue. The commute was about an hour and a half to the arena, so now we are closer, and we will begin to really focus on our tournament.

Q: Any fun interactions or stories from you three?

A: The entire team met the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, yesterday. Micah met one of the top American sprinters and fellow USC Trojan, Allyson Felix, and top American boxer, Claressa Shields. We also chatted it up with Klay Thompson, one of Derrick Low’s old friends from Washington State. Nice guy! Erik finally got his pictures with Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki. And I chatted with Rickie Fowler and DeMarcus Cousins for a few minutes. Rickie loves Maui, and DeMarcus said the ‘Iolani Classic was the best tournament that he ever played in! It was really fun to mingle with all of them and share stories.


U.S. Olympic team setter Kawika Shoji is blogging from the Rio Games for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. His items will run occasionally, but readers can follow him daily on Twitter @kshoji7 and Instagram at kshoji7. Follow Hawaii’s other two volleyball Olympians on Twitter: Erik Shoji @shojinator and Micah Christenson @mchristenson5

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Erik, Kawika Shoji among Americans making Olympic debuts

Associated Press

August 7, 2016
Updated August 7, 2016 10:41am



Members of team Brazil celebrate after defeating Mexico during a men's preliminary volleyball match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)


COURTESY FIVB
Kawika Shoji, Micah Christenson and Erik Shoji, left to right, with the FIVB World Cup trophy the U.S. men’s volleyball team won Wednesday in Tokyo.


RIO DE JANEIRO >> Erik Shoji has the video to prove it: He tore it up playing two-handed table tennis last week when the U.S. volleyball team had some rare free time in the athletes village.

A standout tennis player in his high school days back home in Hawaii, Shoji and older brother Kawika are cherishing their time together in Rio de Janeiro as first-time volleyball Olympians — with a supporting cast of about a dozen that came along to cheer their special accomplishment.

Including their decorated coaching dad, Dave, the longtime head of the University of Hawaii program.

The Shojis, who played for Stanford, and setter Micah Christenson all are from Hawaii and they are three of eight U.S. players who made their debuts in Sunday’s Olympic opener against Canada at Maracanazinho arena. With lights flashing from all angles, Erik offered a wave to a section of U.S. supporters as the Americans made their pregame entrance and began warmups.

The three of them lived together in Southern California leading up to the Olympics.

Kawika is older by more than two years. Their mom and dad, sister Cobey, Kawika’s wife Megan, Erik’s girlfriend Sydney, an aunt, five cousins and two family friends all planned to be in Brazil.

The brothers cherish the chance to be there for each other on the biggest stage.

“I don’t think too many brothers would be able to say that,” Kawika said. “We’re really close. We’re basically best friends and it’s just a really neat thing to go through the experience with him.

“We might be going through different things off the court but then when we come here we’re going through it together. We can basically read each other’s minds.”

U.S. coach John Speraw committed to a youth movement this Olympic cycle, and that means most of the Americans are young and lacking Olympic experience — though they receive plenty of insight from four-time Olympic teammate Reid Priddy, third-timer and captain David Lee and Matt Anderson in his second Olympics.

Kawika and Chirstenson are setters, while Erik is the Americans’ libero.

“There’s a huge Hawaiian contingent now, which is another interesting story,” Speraw said. “I remember Kawika playing pepper with his dad. He would be out there when I was with UCLA as an assistant coach when he was a little kid. They’re just very good volleyball players.”

The Shojis do much as a twosome and also make a point to have their separate lives and interests.

“There’s a balance. We spend a lot of time together,” Erik said. “We get a lot of time together and we try to be our individual selves. We played together in Berlin one year then we went different directions again.”

Earlier Sunday, Brazil’s Bruno Rezende, Mauricio Souza and William Arjona were among the last to leave the court as many of the players thanked the fans with photos, handshakes, smiles and thumbs-up signs.

The host Brazilians beat Mexico 23-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-18 and Lucas Saatkamp’s winning kill sent the crowd into a frenzy as players threw their arms up in celebration.

Egypt’s Ahmed El Kotb was carried off the court by teammates and athletic trainers worked on his right ankle on sideline during the first set of a 25-18, 25-20, 25-17 loss to Poland.

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The young U.S.men’s volleyball team gets served

By Janie McCauley Associated Press

August 8, 2016


ASSOCIATED PRESS
Erik Shoji, left, and his brother Kawika spoke as they sat on the bench at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.


ASSOCIATED PRESS
Erik Shoji reacted in the U.S. men’s team’s volleyball match against Canada on Sunday.



RIO DE JANEIRO >> A towel draped over his left shoulder, Erik Shoji sat on the bench alongside big brother Kawika and pondered what might be going so wrong for the young United States team in its Olympic volleyball opener against hard-hitting Canada.

For a group of largely Olympic first-timers determined to show that youth and inexperience don’t necessarily mean anything on the biggest stage, the fifth-ranked Americans looked at times sloppy and out of sorts in falling 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 to No. 12 Canada on Sunday in the first pool match for both countries.

“We knew we were the underdog in this pool and this match,” Canada captain Frederic Winters said. “It’s the Olympic Games and our team was highly motivated and it showed on the court today.”

From serves into the net early and others that sailed long, to kill attempts that fell wide and missed blocks, the Americans were off from the start. And Canada capitalized.

Later Sunday, defending champion Russia won in four sets against a Cuba team that had to revamp its roster in the past month because six players are being held in Helsinki on suspicion of aggravated rape, according to Finnish police.

Argentina beat Olympic first-timer Iran in three sets in the late match.

The U.S. will now look to regroup to face Italy on Tuesday.

“Hopefully we all fight back for the next match,” Erik said. “There’s always jitters in the first match.”

The Canadians also beat the U.S. in a five-setter for the Champions Cup title in May 2015 before the Americans won on the way to last year’s World Cup crown in Japan.

“It was an unfortunate way to start the tournament,” said U.S. captain and third-time Olympian David Lee. “We didn’t find a level of consistency that we could sustain throughout the match.”

U.S. coach John Speraw committed to a youth movement, and that means most of the Americans lack Olympic experience — though they receive plenty of insight from four-time Olympic teammate Reid Priddy, third-timer Lee and Matt Anderson in his second games.

Lee expects everybody to respond, learn from this and adjust in a hurry.

“I hope so, and I believe so. These guys have proven themselves on the biggest stages,” he said. “That’s very uncharacteristic for some of the young players to make some of the errors they did at some of the moments they did. I expect them to be extremely motivated in the matches to come.”

Despite the disappointing first result, the Shojis are enjoying their time together in Rio de Janeiro as first-time Olympians — with a supporting cast of about a dozen that came along to cheer their special accomplishment.

Including their decorated coaching dad, Dave, the longtime head of the University of Hawaii program.

The Shojis, who played for Stanford, and setter Micah Christenson all are from Hawaii and they are three of eight U.S. players making their Olympic debuts. With lights flashing from all angles, Erik offered a wave to a section of U.S. supporters as the Americans entered for pregame warmups.

The brothers cherish the chance to be there for each other on the biggest stage.

“We’re basically best friends and it’s just a really neat thing to go through the experience with him,” Kawika said. “We’re really close. We might be going through different things off the court but then when we come here we’re going through it together. We can basically read each other’s minds.”

Earlier Sunday, Brazil’s Bruno Rezende, Mauricio Souza and William Arjona were among the last to leave the court as many of the players thanked the fans with photos, handshakes, smiles and thumbs-up signs.

The host Brazilians beat Mexico 23-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-18 and Lucas Saatkamp’s winning kill sent the crowd into a frenzy as players threw their arms up in celebration.

Egypt’s Ahmed El Kotb was carried off the court by teammates and athletic trainers worked on his right ankle on sideline during the first set of a loss to Poland.

[bigfan]

So Long NOVAK............out in straight sets!

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[Wolfgang]

I don't think I noticed this until today but Kawika Shoji looks exactly like what a son of Dave and Mary Shoji should look like. He's got the features of both in all the right places. Erik, on the other hand, must be adopted.

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Italy, despite injured captain, tops US in men's volleyball

Tuesday, August 9th 2016, 11:58 am HST


(AP Photo/Matt Rourke). Italy's Osmany Juantorena, right, spikes the ball as United States' Maxwell Holt (17) and Micah Christenson (11) block during a men's preliminary volleyball match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday


(AP Photo/Matt Rourke). United States' Micah Christenson dives for the ball during a men's preliminary volleyball match against Italy at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016.


(AP Photo/Matt Rourke). United States' Aaron Russell, top right, spikes the ball as Italy's Simone Giannelli (6) and Matteo Piano block during a men's preliminary volleyball match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 9



By JANIE McCAULEY

AP Sports Writer


Excerpt:

"RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - One by one, as best they could, Emanuele Birarelli's teammates made their way over to him for a hug or handshake.

Their captain lay on the sideline with his right ankle elevated and freshly taped. He was injured in the third set of Italy's 28-26, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23 victory over the United States on Tuesday, and his status for Thursday's preliminary match against Mexico is unclear.

...

Now, the winless Americans must figure out how to play better in a hurry because Brazil is up next Thursday night. They spent part of the off day Monday having a heart-to-heart talk, discussing what went wrong in the 3-0 loss to Canada on Sunday.

U.S. coach John Speraw went with a youth movement from the start of this Olympic cycle and has known all along there would be growing pains. But to avoid an early exit from Brazil, things must come together now.

The Americans won last year's World Cup and didn't face the pressure of a last-ditch Olympic qualifier that might have prepared them for the task in Rio.

"For them to step out on this court with the balance between the moment and the expectation while being as inexperienced as they are, it's been a really challenging thing for a lot of our young guys," Speraw said. "This is what we signed up for. We knew this four years ago what we were going to do, and here we are. It's a tough journey."

This is a strange position for U.S. captain and third-time Olympian David Lee, a gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Games. He has never been in the hole of an Olympic tournament in the group stage. He is trying to support his young teammates.

"I feel like these guys have the weight of the world on their shoulders because they don't want to let down these older players, (Reid) Priddy's last Olympics, my last Olympics," Lee said. "I've never made them feel any pressure like that. I feel like we've created a culture we want these guys to feel free and be themselves, use that youth to your advantage and come out with fire and passion. I feel like they're kind of crushed right now, they're down. But they're getting better.""


Full story: www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/32721477/italy-despite-injured-captain-tops-us-in-mens-volleyball

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