Joey Harvey is a junior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at [email protected].It’s not over until it’s over. The first “Top Dawg” second-round match-up has been set, and No. 6 seed Chelsea Bramlett snuck in over No. 3 seed Charles Rhodes by a last-day comeback, winning by only four percent of the vote.
It was the closest match yet in the match that ironically featured the biggest gap between the ages of the competitors.
Bramlett moves on to face tournament-favorite No. 2 seed Justin Pigott, while No. 8 seed Eva Kriegel, who upset the overall favorite Jamont Gordon in the very first match of the Top Dawg tournament, awaits the winner of this match-up.
This week’s match-up is the last of the first round and pits the No. 4 seed Derek Pegues against the No. 5 seed Ivan Bjelica.
No. 4 Derek Pegues
Football
Junior
Batesville, Miss.
Defensive Back
Derek Pegues, along with Titus Brown, has become the face of the Bulldog football team this year, and rightfully so, as his defense has accounted for three of MSU’s touchdowns this season: one in each of the last three games.
Pegues himself is solely responsible for one of those, perhaps the biggest, coming in the third-week game against Auburn.
Pegues is also the kickoff and punt returner, and is averaging 76.2 yards per game, second only to running back Anthony Dixon.
No. 5 Ivan Bjelica
Men’s Tennis
Senior
Belgrade, Serbia
In the spring, Bjelica entered the season ranked 32nd in the nation.
Throughout his career at Mississippi State, he has continually been listed at the top of the Bulldog roster and has performed accordingly.
Bjelica finished with a 10-5 record last season in No. 1 seed matches, 22-14 overall. He contributed a 5-5 SEC record.
He led the MSU tennis squad to finish with a national ranking of 57th on season’s end.