A commanding performance from defense specialist Jen Nierva shone the brightest in Chery Tiggo’s huge upset win over a stacked Creamline side in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
Nierva’s steady outing manning the floor keyed in the Crossovers’ shocking 25-18, 26-24, 25-23 demolition of the erstwhile unbeaten defending champions on Saturday witnessed by a stunned partisan crowd inside the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna.
The National University product was all over the floor catalyzing Chery Tiggo’s counterattacks as she tallied impressive numbers of 20 digs and 10 excellent receptions.
Her stellar production in the Crossovers’ first win over the Cool Smashers in three years earned her the first-ever unanimous vote for the PVL Press Corps Player of the Week honor for the period of March 12 to 16.
Despite leading Chery Tiggo to its first win over Creamline since the 2021 Open Conference Game 3 inside the Bacarra, Ilocos Norte bubble, Nierva still credited the victory to the team’s collective effort.
“I’m just so happy na dumating kami sa point na nagkaroon kami ng jelling inside the court. ‘Yung familiarity, tapos with the help of our coaches, ‘yung system na binago nila since ‘yung loss namin sa Farm Fresh, talagang ramdam ko na lahat ng coaches, nag-iisip talaga sila ano pang pwedeng mangyari kasi hindi ‘to pwede mangyari ulit,” said Nierva.
The Crossovers dealt the Cool Smashers their first straight sets defeat since 2019 and effectively snapped their 19-game unbeaten run since the previous conference.
Nierva shared how watching Creamline lift its seventh PVL title last conference made her question how one could even come close to pinning the champions down.
But as the league’s first-ever pro league titlists, Nierva knew that beating the Cool Smashers would be a tall task but not downright impossible.
“Nu’ng championship last conference, nanood kami (ng awarding) kasi hinintay namin, siyempre Best Outside (Hitter) namin (si Eya Laure). Nanood kami ng entire Game (Two) tapos sobrang amazed talaga ako sa Creamline,” she said.
“Then napatanong ako, ‘Paano namin matatalo ‘yung Creamline?’ Kasi system-wise ang solid ng sistema nila, attackers, defense, passing. Even kapag nagsa-scout kami sa kanila, hindi ko makita kung paano namin sila bubutasan,” added Nierva.
“Hangga’t meron tayong kakalabanin, meron tayong chance manalo. ‘Di porket nasa taas sila, sila na yung panalo, hindi. Kaya natin ‘tong baguhin.”
Nierva outshone teammate Eya Laure, Petro Gazz’s Brooke Van Sickle, Choco Mucho’s Sisi Rondina, and Akari’s Fifi Sharma for the weekly honor given by scribes from broadsheets, tabloids, and online platforms covering the beat.
From one champion team to another, next up for Chery Tiggo is a streaking Petro Gazz side on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.