Erik Shoji grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and played for the Outrigger Canoe Club. Erik and his older brother Kawika played together at Stanford University and are now on the US National Team.

Erik and Kawika’s father, Dave, is the head coach of the women’s volleyball team at the University of Hawaii. Their mother, Mary, played basketball in Hawaii. Shoji was the first four-time first-team All-America in the history of the AVCA honor.

In 2009, Erik and Kawika were the first brothers ever to earn AVCA first-team honors in the same year. Erik was a member of the US Boys’ Youth Team in 2006 and ’07 and a member of the Men’s Junior National Team in 2008 and ’09.

He joined the senior national team in 2013 and helped the team to the gold medal at the NORCECA Championship. He went on to win another gold medal in the 2014 World League Final Round. In 2015, he helped the US win the World League bronze and World Cup gold. At the FIVB World Cup, he was named Best Libero.