She helped helped guide the Tahoma High volleyball program from the bottom to near the top in just a handful of years.

But last week, Tahoma’s Kim Zorn decided it was time to step down after six years with the program.

Zorn’s husband, Darrell, recently accepted a job in Richland, forcing the coach to step down.

“It’s very tough and it leaves a huge hole (in the program),” Zorn said. “But family first.”

Under Zorn, the Bears turned into a legitimate South Puget Sound League North Division contender. In one of the state’s toughest divisions, the Bears brought home third and second-place finishes respectively in 2006 and 2007. In addition, Tahoma missed state by just one win in each of those years.

“I have a lot of highlights,” Zorn said. “I think the biggest thing is watching the kids move on to college and the next level.”

This past fall, Tahoma finished sixth in the nine-team North with a 3-5 league record. The Bears will graduate just two seniors from that team — setters Mackenzie Cles and Kim Reese-White. Returning will be a strong junior and sophomore class, which should have the Bears in the playoff hunt.

“They have the potential to be really great,” Zorn said.