PARIS >> After a comfortable four-set win over Japan on Friday, it is now on to the quarterfinals of the Olympic men’s volleyball tournament for Team USA and its four members with Hawaii ties.

With the win, the team finished at the top of Group C of the 12-team tournament, with a perfect 3-0 record, following earlier victories over Argentina and Japan.

“Obviously, the goal is to advance, but we (also) wanted to show the kind of team we are,” said Erik Shoji, the 34-year-old libero who is one of seven members of the team who won a bronze medal in Rio in 2016. “We didn’t show it this entire summer, so winning the pool feels great, but it’s a new tournament (now).”

The team’s opponent will be determined after play in other groups concludes today. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-place teams, make up the quarterfinalists. As a self-described “numbers cruncher,” Shoji, a Punahou School grad, said that he is pretty sure the team will face Brazil or get a rematch with Japan.

Although the squad was virtually guaranteed a quarterfinal berth no matter what happened in the match, coach John Speraw rested none of the starters on his veteran-laden team — including setter and Kamehameha graduate Micah Christenson and middle blocker and former Hawaii star Taylor Averill. The objective was to maintain the team’s strong momentum heading into the knockout phase.

The match against Japan — which ended 25-16, 25-18, 18-25, 25-19 and took 93 minutes — was a stark contrast in styles, with the heavy-hitting attack of the U.S. facing a defense that is among the best in the world.

On this day, the American attack was dominant, with the exception of a sloppy third set. It also happened against Germany in the last match, so Shoji feels the team will need to talk about how to avoid any mid-game lulls in its next outing, which will be a high-stakes elimination contest.

“It feels good to win three (of the) sets pretty comfortably,” said Shoji, son of legendary Hawaii coach Dave. “I feel like we can keep going (playing this well), but peak USA would be to come out a little stronger in the third set. We’re going to go back to the drawing board and see who we play and scout them up and be ready.”

Averill was player of the game for Team USA, scoring 14 points — seven on attack, to go with six blocks and an ace.

“I am so happy with a win against a super tough team,” said the 32-year-old, who first debuted for the national team in 2014. “Those guys dig everything. It’s so hard to stay present and poised with a team that just touches everything. And we did a really nice job of doing that, of staying present and together, and after losing that set, then coming back in the fourth shows a lot of resilience.”

He added that he believes the team still has not played up to its potential.

“How could you not be (very confident)? We have so many great players and I still feel like we have room to improve, including myself personally,” he said. “I don’t think people realize that three games in seven days, it’s a lot. I was tired. I did not want to go five (sets). I felt like in that fourth set we were tired and yet we still had little bursts of moments where guys did their thing. And that’s what you need to win.”