Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji sent holiday greetings to Hawaii from halfway around the world Saturday, tweeting that he would return for a 40th season.

Shoji, spending the holidays in Austria with his family, took to Twitter to write: "Announcing that I am returning for 40th season in 2014! Go bows!"

Sons Kawika and Erik play professional volleyball in Germany and Austria. Both are also on the national team.

The Hall of Fame coach has guided the Wahine to four national championships and became his sport’s winningest coach in September. His 39th season ended in the NCAA’s second round, with Hawaii finishing 25-5, giving him 1,128 wins in his 39 years.

The Wahine were ranked 18th in the final AVCA Top 25 poll, released Monday. It is only the eighth time since the poll began in 1982 that Hawaii was not in the top 10 at the end of the season.

Shoji turned 67 earlier this month and has shrugged off retirement questions for the past year, saying he would make a decision at the beginning of 2014, after talking to freshmen Nikki Taylor and Tayler Higgins.

He was not available for comment Saturday, but Higgins was not surprised by the announcement.

"He definitely wants to coach us next year," the Punahou graduate said last week.

"Everyone asks me if he’s going to retire and I say, ‘No, he can’t.’ "