HOURS after explicit online hints from Cool Smashers players, the cat's finally out of the bag.
Jen Nierva is Creamline’s newest libero ahead of the 2026 PVL season.
READ LOOK: Is Jen Nierva joining Creamline?
The 26-year-old floor general becomes the first fresh addition for the 10-time champions in what has already shaped up to be a busy offseason.
Among the members of the now-disbanded Chery Tiggo squad, she is also the 11th former Crossover to secure a new home so far.
Nierva’s move represents far more than a headline-grabbing acquisition, as it directly addresses a pressing positional concern for an undermanned Creamline roster.
Last December, the team’s top floor defender and the league's former Best Libero Kyla Atienza revealed she suffered a torn lateral ulnar collateral ligament in her left elbow.
While the club has yet to release a formal medical update, all indications point to Atienza missing most, if not all, of the 2026 All-Filipino Conference, which opens on January 31.
Liberos on liberos
In recent conferences, Creamline has at times been forced to deploy liberos outside their natural roles due to roster constraints.
With Nierva now in the fold, head coach Sherwin Meneses gains much-needed stability by fielding a proven, natural libero who can solely focus on anchoring the backcourt.
Nierva joins a libero pool that includes veterans Denden Lazaro-Revilla and Ella de Jesus, as well as Aleiah Torres.
With five players already offloaded this offseason, Nierva is widely expected to be just the first of several reinforcements, as Creamline undergoes a rare retooling phase.
For a franchise coming off a title-less 2025, shoring up depth and defensive stability could be pivotal in restoring the Cool Smashers to championship relevance.
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