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.