YAKIMA – The Cashmere volleyball team captured a program-best third place Saturday at the Class 1A state tournament Saturday afternoon in the Yakima Valley SunDome.

The Bulldogs, though, were so close to doing even more.

Fifth-seeded Cashmere swept No. 6 La Center 25-19, 25-18, 25-19 to add to the fifth-place trophy from a year ago. They’re the first two state trophies for the program, which hadn’t been to the state tournament since the late-1990s before last year.

Saturday morning, however, the Bulldogs looked poised to stun the volleyball community in their semifinal against No. 1 Chelan, which was looking for a state-record six consecutive state championships.

After taking a set off the Goats in last Saturday’s district final, the Bulldogs got a jump on its upset bid by taking the first set of the match. Chelan answered by taking the second and thirds, before Cashmere’s own response forced a fifth set.

The Goats jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the deciding set, and although the Bulldogs closed within two points, Chelan held on for a 22-25, 25-16, 25-20, 22-25, 15-9 victory.

A championship match against No. 7 Meridian became a formality for the Goats, who swept the Trojans 25-15,25-12,25-17 to capture a state-record sixth straight state title.

“Unmatched everything,” Cashmere coach Katie Broadbent said of her team's effort. “They didn’t leave anything in the tank.”

Cashmere bounced back in the match for third and fourth place, to finish the season 22-3, its only losses to Chelan. Coaches made sure the players were ready after the five-setter against the Goats.

“They knew they were spent,” Broadbent said. “We made sure we were fueled, stretched and iced, and to play smarter and not harder.”

The Bulldogs should be strong again next season with two-time SCAC conference player of the year Macie Smart set to return alongside fellow all-conference first-teamers Cali Diaz and Taylor Kunz, second-teamer Mandy Barba and third-teamer Teagan Kerns.

“We’re just looking to pick up where we left off,” Broadbent said.

Against the Goats, Smart had 29 kills and 12 digs, Faith Courtney totaled 10 kills and 11 digs, Kunz added eight kills, seven digs and two aces, Hazel Schade chipped in seven kills and four blocks, Kerns posted 16 digs and Diaz paced the offense with 52 assists and also had 10 digs.

Stats from the medal match will be posted later Saturday.