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Malia Shoji

Malia Shoji

Malia Shojo is the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Malia Shoji was named the eighth head coach in UNLV volleyball history on January 4, 2023.

Shoji comes to Las Vegas after having spent the last eight seasons overall with the Utah volleyball program and the last five as its associate head coach. She helped the Utes qualify for six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Sweet 16’s and three consecutive third-place finishes in the Pac-12 Conference.

While at Utah, Shoji was instrumental in the program reaching its highest-ever AVCA national ranking (7th) during the 2020 season. She coached Utah’s only two First Team All-Americans in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021, and she played a crucial role in standout Dani Drews earning the program’s first-ever Pac-12 Player of the Year selection and first-ever Ute to be named the Pacific South Region Player of the Year two years in a row.

In addition to her success with the Utes, Shoji has had several international opportunities including her time as high performance assistant coach for the USA Volleyball Women’s Junior A1 Team in 2019. Following her first season with Utah, Shoji was named an assistant coach for the Pac-12 Volleyball All-Star Team that toured China in the summer of 2016.

Prior to her time at Utah, Shoji served as an assistant coach at Western Oregon and was an assistant coach with Willamette University in 2011 where she helped establish the Capital City Elite Volleyball Club and served as the Director of Business Operations.

Shoji, who played collegiately at Irvine Valley College from 2005-07, comes from a family that is embedded in the volleyball community. Shoji’s dad, Tom, has been a volleyball coach at the NCAA level for more than 30 years. Her uncle, Dave, has been the head coach at Hawai’i for 40 years and during that time, has accumulated 1,150 victories which ranks second all-time in career wins. Shoji’s cousins, Kawika and Erik, have both played professionally. Kawika just retired after a long career and played in two Olympics as a member of the USA Men’s National Team, while Erik is still playing professionally for Zaksa in Poland and is a current member of Team USA.

Shoji earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from UC San Diego in 2009 and her master’s in education, information technology from Western Oregon in 2017. While attending IVC, she earned an associate’s degree in business administration.

Shoji and her husband Benjamin Kaufman have a daughter, Camryn (2 years old), and a son, Dalen (10 months old).

What They Are Saying...
"Malia is well prepared for this move and will do great things at UNLV! She is a coach that cares about her student-athletes while challenging them to be their best. She is an excellent on court coach, has a great grasp on scouting opponents and is a tireless recruiter with a strong work ethic. Malia has had a huge impact on the Utah Volleyball program over the past eight years. She will be missed but I couldn't be more happy for her and this opportunity to lead the Rebel Volleyball program."
- Beth Launiere, Utah Head Coach

"I am ecstatic for my cousin Malia as she becomes the Head Coach of UNLV Volleyball! Her passion for volleyball, her work ethic, and her ability to balance work and life is inspiring and I cannot wait for her to start this journey as a head coach. I am so proud of her and I will be cheering every step of the way. UNLV hired a good one."
- Erik Shoji, two-time Olympian and current Team USA Volleyball member

“I had the pleasure of playing for Malia for five seasons and she showed dedication, hard work, and love for her players day in and day out. Malia took the time to get to know each of us both on and off the court, supporting us as players and even more importantly, as people. I am so happy for her and excited to see what the future holds for her as a head coach. I know big things are in store!"
- Dani Drews, Four-Time All-American at Utah and the school's most decorated volleyball student-athlete

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