SALINAS >> The duties of being a mother first have put an end — for now — to a chapter that exceeds three decades of volleyball for Chloe Goldman.

The former Tennessee All-America libero has stepped down as the girls’ volleyball coach at Salinas High after eight seasons and 185 wins, including a Central Coast Section Division I title last fall.

“I have been wrestling with the decision,” Goldman said. “I went back to work three weeks ago. Being a new mom, I realized I can’t be coaching and giving the girls everything I have.”

Despite being five months pregnant when the season started in August, Goldman didn’t miss a match or a practice last fall, having her first child on Nov. 22 — five days after the season ended.

“I sent a text to the girls today,” said Goldman, who had a baby girl. “I got a lot of heart emojis. I just explained how I was feeling. It will be awkward in the fall. I was born with a volleyball in my hand.”

In seven full seasons at Salinas — the pandemic canceled the 2021 season — Goldman became the all-time leader in wins at Salinas with 185, capturing four Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division titles and two Central Coast Section Division I crowns.

With her baby due any day, Goldman still coached Salinas into the Northern California Division I tournament last fall, where the Cowboys reached the quarterfinals.

A member of Salinas’ first CCS title team in 2004 as an outside hitter that set a school record for wins with 29, Goldman coached the Cowboys to a pair of 29-win seasons before breaking the mark in 2023 with 30 wins.

Under the 37-year-old Goldman, Salinas also set a school record for consecutive league wins with 37 between 2019-2023, winning three straight Gabilan Division titles.

“I thought being a mom wouldn’t change anything,” Goldman said. “I will make it work. Even after having my daughter, I said I can still make this work. But in reality, I want to be there for her. Coming home from a match at 10 p.m. doesn’t sit right with me.”

Once Goldman returned to work last month, it became apparent that something was going to have to be relinquished in her lifestyle, that she wouldn’t be able to put in the work she believes is required as a coach.

“Being a mom is a lot of work,” said Goldman, whose two assistant coaches last year also had babies. “You’re tired all the time. Your mindset changes. You are not just taking care of yourself. She is my world.”

The Herald’s Volleyball Player of the Year in 2005 at Salinas, Goldman was recruited to play at Tennessee, where she was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, becoming the first county volleyball player to earn NCAA All-America honors.

Goldman spent two more years at the University of Mississippi after her career to serve as the Director of Operations for the volleyball program while pursuing her master’s degree, before returning to Salinas, where she began her coaching career.

“I’m sure I will miss it, especially in the month of October when the playoffs roll around,” Goldman said. “But this is the right decision for me and my family.”

Goldman’s resignation marks the third coach this month to leave Salinas this year as Roger Chagnon stepped down after 27 seasons as the boys’ and girls’ cross country coach, while Lawrence Zenk wasn’t retained as the boys’ basketball coach

The Cowboys never missed the postseason during Goldman’s tenure, averaging 26.5 wins a season, the highest total over an eight-year span since King City had its magical runs in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.

While Goldman won’t rule out a return to coaching down the road, it’s not something she’s considering at this time, at least until her daughter picks up a volleyball.

“Honestly, it’s too soon to tell,” Goldman said. “I don’t want to say something that is not going to happen. This will be the first time since graduating from college that I won’t be coaching. I will be 100 percent removed from volleyball for the first time in my life.”