Redan Lady Raiders sweep to second consecutive Silver Bracket title in the 4th Annual DCSD Spikefest.

The Redan Lady Raiders won four consecutive matches on the way to winning their second consecutive Spikefest Silver Bracket championship over the weekend at Redan.

Clarkston which defeated McNair in a tournament opening match on Friday was the first victim to fall at the hands of the Lady Raiders as Redan won 25-16, 25-3 to advance to a Saturday morning winner’s bracket match against Lithonia.

Lithonia had downed Cross Keys in its opener on Friday, but fell 25-14, 25-12 to Redan.

Redan moved on to the winners’ bracket semifinals to face Miller Grove which had opened with wins over Martin Luther King Jr. and Columbia to reach the semifinals.

The semifinal match was a battle that went three games with Redan winning the opener 25-14 and Miller Grove taking a 25-19 win in the second to force the third and final deciding game. Redan captured a 15-9 victory to advance to the finals for the second consecutive season.

Miller Grove bounced back with a win over Columbia which had defeated Towers and Lithonia in the losers’ bracket to advance to the semifinals. Miller Grove defeated Columbia for the second time in the tournament to earn a spot in the finals.

Redan would sweep to the title with a 25-20, 25-14 win over Miller Grove.

Miller Grove was 3-2 in tournament play while Columbia finished third with a record of 3-2. Lithonia was fourth at 2-2 while Towers and Martin Luther King also finished at 2-2. Cedar Gove went 1-2 in tournament play while Cross Keys and McNair were 0-2.

Redan’s Hydeah Hinesman was named the tournament MVP while teammate Takaira Flemons was also name to the team.

Other All-Tournament selections include La’Nya Johnson (Cedar Grove), Ku Htwo (Clarkston), Asia Hale (Columbia), Joanna Hernandez (Cross Keys), Taryn Dowell (Lithonia), Jaili Greene (M.L. King) Eleya Kemp (McNair), Maya Member (Miller Grove) and Alexi Myers (Towers).

GOLD BRACKET AT CHAMBLEE

Becca Evans was one of 2 Chamblee lady Bulldogs named to the 4th Annual DCSD Spikefest Gold Bracket All-Tournament Team. Chamblee was the tournament runner-up. (Photo by Mark Brock)

Decatur did not lose a set in four consecutive victories to win its first Spikefest Gold Bracket championship at Chamblee over the weekend.

The Lady Bulldogs opened with a 25-20, 25-12 over Druid Hills who had defeated Tucker 25-7, 25-9 earlier in the day on Friday.

Decatur opened play on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Lakeside which had defeated southwest DeKalb 25-7, 25-16 on Friday to advance in the winners’ bracket. The victory by Decatur set up a semifinals match against the host Chamblee Lady Bulldogs.

Chamblee advanced to the semifinals with consecutive 2-0 wins over Stephenson and Arabia Mountain to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Lakeside’s Tyja Traore goes up for a kill against Southwest DeKalb. Traore and the Lady Vikings finished third in the Gold Bracket. (Photo by Mark Brock)

Decatur which lost a tough match to Chamblee earlier in the week used its solid defensive play to keep the ball in play on the way to a 2-0 win to advance to the finals undefeated in tournament play.

Chamblee fell into the losers’ bracket finals to take on Lakeside that had rebounded from its loss to Decatur to defeat Druid Hills and Arabia Mountain both by identical 2-0 scores.

The win set up a rematch with Decatur in the championship round against Chamblee. Decatur once again played tough on the defensive side forcing errors from the young Chamblee team for a 2-0 win to take the title.

Lakeside finished third at 3-2 in the tournament with Arabia Mountain fourth at 2-2. Druid Hills finished 2-2 followed by Southwest DeKalb and Stone Mountain at 1-2. Stephenson and Tucker both went 0-2 in the tournament.

Decatur’s AnnaLisa Mendoza was named the Spikefest Gold Tournament MVP for her play in leading Decatur to the title. Joining her on the All-Tournament team from Decatur was Lillian Fantz and Olivia Stephenson.

Chamblee placed two players on the All-Tournament team in senior Rachel Loftus and sophomore Becca Evans. Lakeside placed Sairah Hyman and Gabby Morse on the All-Tournament team while Arabia Mountain had Iffy Foreman and Janiyah White named All-Tournament.

Maurisa Dawson from Druid Hills and Anaya Whitaker from Southwest DeKalb also earned All-Tournament honors.