Polish setter Jan Firlej began his PlusLiga career in Warsaw as an understudy to Paweł Zagumny, then returned to the capital four years later as a far more established playmaker. He now wears number 5 for PGE Projekt Warszawa and represents the Poland men’s national volleyball team, where he has competed as number 96.
Born in Radom in 1996, Firlej developed with Czarni Radom before building his senior career through Warsaw, Belgium, Katowice and Olsztyn. His 2021–22 season with Indykpol AZS Olsztyn led directly to his first senior Poland call-up, while his second Warsaw spell has brought a CEV Challenge Cup title, three Polish league bronze medals and a historic Champions League Final Four appearance.
Player Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jan Firlej |
| Date of Birth | 26 September 1996 |
| Place of Birth | Radom, Poland |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Gender | Male |
| Position | Setter |
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lbs) |
| Spike Reach | 330 cm |
| Block Reach | 315 cm |
| Dominant Hand | Right |
| Development Club | Czarni Radom |
| Previous Clubs | Czarni Radom; AZS Politechnika Warszawska / ONICO Warszawa; Lindemans Aalst; GKS Katowice; Indykpol AZS Olsztyn |
| Current Club | PGE Projekt Warszawa |
| Club Number | 5 |
| National Team | Poland Men’s National Volleyball Team |
| Senior National Team Since | 2022 |
| National-Team Number | 96 |
| Career Status | Active |
Current Polish league records list Firlej at 188 cm and 83 kg with a 330 cm attack reach. CEV competition listings have sometimes used 190 cm and 84 kg, while the current domestic registration retains the 188 cm measurement that has appeared throughout much of his Polish career.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Firlej was born in Radom and developed through the youth structure of Czarni Radom. His final years there included the 2014–15 Młoda Liga campaign, when Czarni won the competition and Firlej completed an important stage of his development before moving into senior top-flight volleyball.
Warsaw became the setting for his first PlusLiga experience. Firlej joined AZS Politechnika Warszawska in 2015 and spent three seasons with the capital club as it later competed under the ONICO name. As a young setter, he worked behind Paweł Zagumny, one of the defining Polish setters of his generation. That role limited Firlej’s early starting opportunities but placed him alongside an experienced organizer while he adjusted to the speed and decision-making demands of senior volleyball.
After three seasons in Warsaw, Firlej chose his first foreign move. He signed with Lindemans Aalst for 2018–19 and finished the Belgian league season with a bronze medal. The year abroad was brief, but it gave him regular experience outside the Polish system before his return to the PlusLiga.
Club Career
Katowice and Olsztyn: From Rotation Setter to National-Team Candidate
GKS Katowice brought Firlej back to Poland in 2019. He spent two seasons there, competing for setting responsibility while moving beyond the reserve role that had marked much of his first Warsaw period.
His next move proved more consequential. Firlej joined Indykpol AZS Olsztyn for 2021–22 and became an important part of a team that finished sixth in the league. His connection with attackers including Karol Butryn and T.J. DeFalco helped make the season the strongest of his senior career to that point.
Olsztyn also became the bridge to international volleyball. Nikola Grbić included Firlej in his first Poland selections in 2022, giving the setter the national-team opportunity that had remained out of reach during his earlier club seasons.
Return to Warsaw and a First European Trophy
Firlej returned to Projekt Warszawa in 2022, four years after leaving the capital. This time he came back as an established first-choice setter rather than a young reserve.
The second Warsaw period developed into the longest continuous club chapter of his career. Projekt became increasingly competitive domestically while also building toward European success. The breakthrough arrived in 2023–24, when the team reached the CEV Challenge Cup final against Vero Volley Monza.
Firlej started throughout the opening final in Warsaw as Projekt won 3–1. A second 3–1 victory in Italy completed the tie and gave the club its first CEV Challenge Cup title under the Projekt Warszawa identity. The same season ended with a Polish league bronze medal.
Projekt repeated that domestic podium finish in 2024–25 and again in 2025–26, giving Firlej three consecutive PlusLiga bronze medals during his second spell in Warsaw.
A Historic Champions League Run
The 2025–26 season expanded Projekt’s European ambitions. After missing the Champions League Final Four in the previous campaign, the Warsaw club reached the competition’s Final Four for the first time in its history.
Projekt did not leave the tournament with a medal, but reaching the final weekend placed Firlej and the club in a new competitive tier. The season also showed his individual value statistically: Volleyball World’s PlusLiga database ranked him first in its setter category with 618 successful sets.
PGE Projekt extended Firlej’s stay for 2026–27, keeping number 5 in Warsaw for another season. The campaign is his fifth consecutive year since returning to the club and his eighth senior season in Warsaw when his original 2015–18 spell is included.
Club Career Timeline
| Seasons | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2013–2015 | Czarni Radom / Czarni Radom U21 | Poland |
| 2015–2018 | AZS Politechnika Warszawska / ONICO Warszawa | Poland |
| 2018–2019 | Lindemans Aalst | Belgium |
| 2019–2021 | GKS Katowice | Poland |
| 2021–2022 | Indykpol AZS Olsztyn | Poland |
| 2022–present | PGE Projekt Warszawa | Poland |
National Team Career
A Senior Debut in 2022
Firlej received his first senior Poland call-up under Nikola Grbić after the 2021–22 club season in Olsztyn. His official debut came in the opening match of the 2022 Volleyball Nations League against Argentina.
Poland won in straight sets, and Firlej immediately took responsibility for running an international-level offense. Former Poland setter Paweł Zagumny — the same player Firlej had once backed up in Warsaw — described him as the MVP of the match. Firlej finished the 2022 VNL with six scoring points of his own: three attacks, two blocks and one ace.
He did not immediately become a permanent selection for every subsequent major tournament. Poland’s depth at setter meant that the next phase of his international career developed less continuously than his debut summer.
Returning to Major Tournaments in 2025
Firlej returned to a substantial senior international role in 2025. He appeared in eight matches during the VNL preliminary campaign as Poland worked with several setter combinations. The team advanced through the Finals and swept Italy 3–0 for the championship, giving Firlej his first VNL gold medal.
He then made Poland’s 14-player squad for the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines. Marcin Komenda carried most of the setting workload during the medal matches, but Firlej remained one of the two setters in the championship roster. Poland recovered from a semifinal loss to Italy by defeating Czechia 3–1 and secured the first World Championship bronze medal in the history of its men’s program.
VNL and European Gold in 2026
Firlej stayed in Poland’s international group in 2026 and again wore number 96. He appeared across the VNL season and recorded seven scoring points — two attacks, two blocks and three aces — while sharing the setting responsibilities within Grbić’s squad.
Poland returned to the final in Ningbo and defended the VNL title by beating the United States in five sets. It was the national team’s third VNL championship and Firlej’s second consecutive gold in the competition.
EuroVolley followed later in the summer. Firlej remained part of the squad as Poland advanced to another championship match. On 26 September 2026, the team defeated France 3–1 to retain the European title, simultaneously securing qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Playing Style & Strengths
Firlej’s strongest current statistical evidence is his distribution volume. In the 2025–26 PlusLiga, Volleyball World’s official competition statistics ranked him first among setters with 618 successful sets. Projekt played deep into the league playoffs and reached the Champions League Final Four during the same campaign, giving Firlej a large sample of high-level matches in which he managed an offense built around multiple international attackers.
His setting profile has also developed around using the middle of the net rather than simply leaning on high-volume wing scoring. That tendency was already visible on his Poland debut in 2022, when observers highlighted his willingness to involve the middle blockers and his connection with attackers he knew from club volleyball. His years in Warsaw have required the same adaptability as Projekt’s roster has changed around him.
Firlej also contributes an unusually visible amount of direct scoring for a setter of his size. Despite standing 188 cm, he finished the 2025–26 PlusLiga season with 71 points: 23 from attack, 26 from blocks and 22 from serve. The blocking total is particularly notable for a setter who does not have the height advantage of many international players at the position, while 22 aces made his serve another repeatable scoring tool rather than only a way to begin the rally.
Those numbers complement rather than define his primary value. Firlej’s central task remains controlling tempo, choosing among multiple attacking options and keeping the offense functional across changing rotations. The combination of distribution volume, active serving and meaningful net scoring gives him a broader statistical footprint than a setter whose contribution appears almost exclusively in setting metrics.
Major Achievements
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Volleyball Nations League | Gold Medal |
| 2025 | FIVB World Championship | Bronze Medal |
| 2026 | Volleyball Nations League | Gold Medal |
| 2026 | CEV European Championship | Gold Medal |
Selected Club Honors
| Season / Year | Competition | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Młoda Liga | Czarni Radom | Champion |
| 2018–19 | Belgian Championship | Lindemans Aalst | Bronze Medal |
| 2023–24 | CEV Challenge Cup | Projekt Warszawa | Champion |
| 2023–24 | Polish Championship | Projekt Warszawa | Bronze Medal |
| 2024–25 | Polish Championship | PGE Projekt Warszawa | Bronze Medal |
| 2025–26 | Polish Championship | PGE Projekt Warszawa | Bronze Medal |
The 2024 Challenge Cup remains Firlej’s principal club trophy. Projekt defeated Monza 3–1 in both legs of the final, completing the European campaign without needing a Golden Set.
Where Is Jan Firlej Playing Now?
Jan Firlej plays for PGE Projekt Warszawa in the 2026–27 season and continues to wear number 5. The current Polish league registration lists him at 188 cm and 83 kg with a 330 cm spike reach, while the roster confirms his role as one of the club’s setters.
His contract was extended after a 2025–26 campaign in which Projekt won another league bronze medal and reached its first Champions League Final Four. He enters the new season alongside a significantly reshaped Warsaw roster but remains one of the club’s longest-serving current players.
Firlej is also an active Poland international. He wears number 96 for the national team and finished the 2026 international season with VNL and EuroVolley gold medals.
Recent Performance Snapshot
| Competition | Matches | Total Points | Attack Points | Block Points | Aces | Setting / Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 PlusLiga | 35 | 71 | 23 | 26 | 22 | 618 successful sets; ranked first in the competition’s setter statistic |
| 2026 VNL | 11 appearances | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | Poland won the title |
Firlej’s 2025–26 club numbers are especially useful because they show both sides of his contribution: high setting volume and 71 direct scoring points. His 26 blocks and 22 aces accounted for more than two-thirds of that scoring total.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Jan Firlej?
Jan Firlej is listed at 188 cm, approximately 6 feet 2 inches, in the current Polish league and Volleyball World records.
What position does Jan Firlej play?
Firlej is a setter. He has played the position throughout his senior club career and with the Poland men’s national team.
Which club does Jan Firlej play for?
Firlej plays for PGE Projekt Warszawa. He returned to the Warsaw club in 2022 and remains there for the 2026–27 season.
What number does Jan Firlej wear?
He wears number 5 for PGE Projekt Warszawa and number 96 for the Poland men’s national team.
When did Jan Firlej debut for Poland?
Firlej made his senior Poland debut on 8 June 2022 in a Volleyball Nations League match against Argentina. Poland won 3–0.
What major trophies has Jan Firlej won?
His honors include the 2024 CEV Challenge Cup with Projekt Warszawa, VNL gold with Poland in 2025 and 2026, World Championship bronze in 2025 and the European Championship title in 2026.
References
- TAURON Liga — Jan Firlej 2026–27 player profile
- Volleyball World — Jan Firlej 2025–26 PlusLiga statistics
- Volleyball World — 2025–26 PlusLiga setter statistics
- CEV — Jan Firlej European club and national-team history
- Volleybox — Jan Firlej player data and club history
- GKS Katowice — Jan Firlej signing and early career history
- PlusLiga — Jan Firlej returns to Projekt Warszawa in 2022
- Poinformowani — Jan Firlej career profile and 2022 national-team breakthrough
- TVP Sport — Jan Firlej’s senior Poland debut against Argentina
- CEV — PGE Projekt Warszawa reach the 2026 Champions League Final Four
- Polish Volleyball Federation — Poland’s 2025 World Championship roster
- Volleyball World — Poland win the 2025 World Championship bronze medal
- FIVB — Poland defend the VNL title in 2026
- CEV — Poland win EuroVolley 2026 and qualify for Los Angeles 2028
