Canadian outside hitter Jackson Young did not begin playing volleyball until his mid-teens, yet within a few years he had become one of the leading university scorers in Canada and entered the national-team pathway. The 195 cm attacker now plays for Altekma SK in Türkiye’s Efeler Ligi and remains part of the Canada men’s national team, following professional stops with VfB Friedrichshafen and BOGDANKA LUK Lublin.
Young’s professional rise accelerated after leaving Nipissing University in 2023. He reached the German championship final with Friedrichshafen, won the Polish Super Cup and Polish Cup with Lublin, played at the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship and produced 103 points during the 2026 Volleyball Nations League. His move to Altekma opened another phase of that progression, and he began the 2026–27 Turkish league season with a 33-point performance.
Player Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jackson Young |
| Date of Birth | July 29, 2001 |
| Hometown | Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Position | Outside Hitter |
| Height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) |
| Spike Reach | 360 cm |
| Block Reach | 332 cm |
| College / University | Nipissing University |
| Academic Program | Physical Education and Health |
| Current Club | Altekma SK |
| Club Number | 15 |
| National Team | Canada Men’s National Volleyball Team |
| National-Team Number | 15 |
| Previous Clubs | Nipissing Lakers, VfB Friedrichshafen, BOGDANKA LUK Lublin |
| @15.jacksony |
Volleyball World currently lists Young at 195 cm, while his 2025–26 CEV Champions League registration with Lublin recorded a weight of 92 kg and a 360 cm spike reach. Established player records list his block reach at 332 cm. CEV also directly linked the Instagram handle @15.jacksony from his player profile, providing a governing-body connection to the account.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Young is from Etobicoke in Toronto and came to competitive volleyball relatively late. When VfB Friedrichshafen recruited him from Canada, the club described a player who had not started the sport until age 16. His development was rapid enough to move him into the Canadian youth pathway and then into U SPORTS volleyball with Nipissing University.
He joined the Nipissing Lakers for the 2019–20 season as an outside hitter. Even before becoming one of the country’s leading university players, Young earned a place on the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team. His national-team pathway followed soon afterward: in 2021, he became the first Nipissing men’s volleyball player selected for Canada’s U21 program.
The 2021–22 university season was his major individual breakthrough. Young accumulated 104 kills, 25 aces and 142.5 points in only 26 regular-season sets. Nipissing reported that he led both the OUA and U SPORTS in points per set at 5.5 and aces per set at 0.96. He was named an OUA First Team All-Star and U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian, then received Nipissing’s men’s volleyball MVP award and the university’s Al Carfagnini Male Athlete of the Year honor.
He followed that with another high-volume season in 2022–23. Nipissing later recorded 309 kills, 38 service aces, 96 digs and 379 total points across 72 sets, an average of 5.26 points per set. Young again made the OUA First Team and was selected to the U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian squad.
Those university seasons established several traits that remained visible after he turned professional: significant attacking responsibility from the left side, aggressive serving and the ability to contribute enough in reception and defense to stay on court as a six-rotation outside hitter.
Club Career
Young moved directly from Canadian university volleyball into one of Europe’s established professional clubs. Rather than beginning in a lower domestic division, he joined VfB Friedrichshafen in the German Bundesliga and spent two seasons developing there before a World Championship performance accelerated his move to Poland.
From Nipissing to VfB Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen signed Young in 2023 after his final season with Nipissing. The move was a substantial competitive jump: he went from U SPORTS volleyball into a club with a long history of German championships and regular European competition.
His first season required patience. Friedrichshafen already had several experienced outside hitters, and Young was not immediately responsible for the kind of attacking volume he had carried in Canada. As the season progressed, however, he gained more meaningful playing time. In a January 2024 victory over Freiburg, Bundesliga coverage noted that he converted more than half of his attacks, and he later started important playoff matches during the club’s run to the championship final.
Friedrichshafen pushed Berlin Recycling Volleys to a fifth match in the 2024 championship series before losing the deciding match 3–0. Young entered that finale and contributed an ace as Friedrichshafen finished the season as German runner-up.
His role expanded further in 2024–25. Injuries elsewhere in the roster even required him to move temporarily from outside hitter to opposite, illustrating a useful secondary attacking role. Against Haching in February 2025, Friedrichshafen started Young on the right side because regular opposite Michal Superlak was unavailable.
By the end of his second German season, coach Adam Swaczyna described Young as a central part of the team’s identity and praised the commitment he showed during the playoffs. Friedrichshafen extended his contract for another year in July 2025, expecting him to remain for a third season.
That plan changed only three months later.
A World Championship Performance Changes the Plan
Young’s 2025 international season increased his profile outside Germany, particularly after the World Championship in the Philippines.
Friedrichshafen later explained that he had not originally been one of Canada’s most established senior options, but his national-team performances — especially against Poland in the World Championship Round of 16 — attracted substantially greater interest. Reigning Polish champion BOGDANKA LUK Lublin then approached Friedrichshafen after the 2025–26 club season had already begun.
The German club agreed to terminate Young’s newly extended contract in return for a transfer fee, allowing him to join Lublin in October 2025. Friedrichshafen management described the move as a major sporting opportunity, while Young entered a roster featuring Wilfredo León, Marcin Komenda, Kewin Sasak and several other established internationals.
Lublin: Three Domestic Finals and Champions League Volleyball
Young’s impact at Lublin was immediate. Only days after joining the club, he helped the team win its preseason Bogdanka Volley Cup and was named tournament MVP. The event itself was not a major official title, but it was an early indication that he could contribute despite arriving after the rest of the squad had completed most of its preseason preparation.
The meaningful trophies followed quickly.
In November 2025, BOGDANKA LUK defeated Jastrzębski Węgiel 3–1 to win the Polish Super Cup. Two months later, Lublin swept Asseco Resovia Rzeszów 3–0 in the Polish Cup final. Young was in the starting lineup as Lublin claimed the Polish Cup for the first time in club history.
The club also made its Champions League debut that season. Young scored seven points in Lublin’s opening 3–0 win over Halkbank and later produced 13 in the deciding quarterfinal match against Projekt Warszawa. Lublin won the second leg in five sets but was eliminated on competition points, finishing its first Champions League campaign in the quarterfinals.
Domestically, Lublin reached another championship final. The series against Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie went the full five matches before Zawiercie won the deciding contest, leaving Young and Lublin with the 2025–26 PlusLiga silver medal. Volleyball World recorded Young with 156 league points, including 128 attack points, 20 blocks and eight aces.
The single season therefore brought Young a Polish Super Cup, Polish Cup, league silver medal and Champions League quarterfinal appearance — a significant step up from the role he had held when first arriving in Germany two years earlier.
Altekma and a New Role in Türkiye
Young moved again for 2026–27, signing with Altekma SK in Türkiye’s Efeler Ligi.
The İzmir club announced him as its first signing for the new season in June 2026. Altekma’s current official roster lists Young as number 15 and one of its outside hitters alongside Jordan Ewert, Paolo Zonca and Baha Akçagöz.
His first league match provided an immediate indication of the responsibility Altekma expects him to carry. On October 17, 2026, the club fell two sets behind Spor Toto before completing a five-set comeback. Young scored 33 points, the highest total for Altekma, while teammate Jordan Ewert added 22.
For a player who entered Europe as a developing university prospect, that transition to primary scorer is one of the clearest markers of how his professional role has changed.
Club Career Timeline
| Seasons | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–2023 | Nipissing Lakers | Canada |
| 2023–2025 | VfB Friedrichshafen | Germany |
| 2025–2026 | BOGDANKA LUK Lublin | Poland |
| 2026–Present | Altekma SK | Türkiye |
National Team Career
Young’s Canadian pathway began below the senior level and developed gradually. His first major national-team experience came through the U21 program, followed by U23 and NextGen competition before he became increasingly important to the senior team.
U21, U23 and NextGen Development
Volleyball Canada selected Young for its U21 program in 2021. The Nipissing outside hitter was identified as part of a group being developed with the longer-term goal of feeding Canada’s senior national team and the Los Angeles 2028 cycle.
He moved into Canada’s U23 group in 2022 and was selected for the Bicentennial Independence Cup in Brazil. The roster included several players who would later become senior internationals, among them Xander Ketrzynski, Max Elgert, Erik Siksna and Isaac Heslinga.
Young remained in the NextGen structure in 2023. Volleyball Canada named him to a group preparing for the Pan American Cup and NORCECA Final Six, while Volleyball World also included him in Canada’s extended 2023 VNL roster. That year marked the point when the line between developmental and senior national-team volleyball began to narrow for him.
Pan American Cup Gold
Young was part of Canada’s NextGen roster for the 2024 Pan American Cup in Santo Domingo.
Canada entered as defending champion and defeated the United States 3–1 in the final to win a second consecutive Pan American Cup title. Isaac Heslinga led Canada in scoring in the final, while Jesse Elser earned tournament MVP and Best Server honors. Young was among the 14 players on the gold-medal roster.
The tournament ran at the same time as Canada’s Olympic team was preparing for Paris, so Young was still outside the country’s Olympic group. His route to a larger senior role would come in the following international season.
2025: From VNL Opportunity to the World Championship
Canada entered a transition period in 2025 under head coach Dan Lewis, and Young received his first sustained senior-team opportunity.
In Canada’s opening VNL match against Germany, he led the team with 17 points as the Canadians came back to win in five sets. The performance established him immediately as more than a developmental roster addition.
He continued into the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines, where Canada advanced from a group containing Libya, Japan and Türkiye. Young scored ten points in the opening win over Libya and was used much more prominently again when Canada met Poland in the Round of 16.
Against the world-number-one Polish team, Young scored 12 points, including 11 attacks and a block. Volleyball World highlighted the block that closed Canada’s second-set victory. Sharone Vernon-Evans led the match with 23 points, but Young’s performance was one of the most important of his early senior career.
Across the World Championship, he finished with 23 points from 19 attacks, three blocks and an ace. The tournament also had a direct effect on his club career: Friedrichshafen later said his performances, especially the Poland match, generated wider interest and contributed to Lublin pursuing his transfer.
A Larger Scoring Role in the 2026 VNL
Young’s role expanded again during the 2026 Volleyball Nations League.
Volleyball World recorded 103 points for the Canadian outside hitter: 85 attack points, 12 blocks and six aces. He became increasingly important as the tournament progressed and carried substantially more scoring responsibility during the third competition week.
His best statistical match came against Japan. Young scored 21 points, including 17 attacks and four blocks, as Canada pushed Japan to five sets. A day earlier he had scored 18 points against Argentina, while his opening-week performance against Türkiye also produced 18.
The numbers also show that his responsibilities went beyond terminating attacks. Volleyball World’s match data records substantial reception volume during the final week, including 18 receptions against Japan and 15 against Argentina. That combination of receiving responsibility and attacking workload is important when assessing his development as a senior outside hitter.
NORCECA Silver and the 2026 International Finish
Young remained with Canada through the 2026 NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship in Moncton.
Canada reached the final after an undefeated pool stage and a semifinal victory over Cuba, then lost a five-set championship match to the United States. Young therefore added a senior continental silver medal to the Pan American Cup gold he had won with the NextGen group two years earlier.
His offensive role was smaller at NORCECA than it had been during the VNL, with Volleyball World recording 17 points from 16 attacks and one block. Canada subsequently entered the regional Olympic qualification phase but lost the deciding match to Cuba, leaving the team to pursue another path toward Los Angeles 2028.
Playing Style & Strengths
Young’s development is built around the complete responsibilities of an outside hitter rather than a single standout skill. His university numbers first established him as an unusually productive server and scorer: during the 2021–22 season, he led all of U SPORTS in both points per set and aces per set. That combination made serving pressure an identifiable strength before he entered professional volleyball.
His attack has become more efficient as the competitive level has risen. At the 2025 World Championship, Young scored 19 kills from 39 attacks across the tournament. His Round-of-16 match against Poland included 11 kills on 21 swings, while his 2026 VNL total grew to 85 attack points.
The 195 cm frame is relatively conventional for an international outside hitter, but a listed 360 cm spike reach gives him a high contact point. More importantly, his recent matches show that he is not dependent on height alone. Canada used him against significant service pressure in the VNL, with Young taking repeated reception assignments before transitioning immediately into attack.
Blocking has also become a meaningful source of points. He scored 12 blocks during the 2026 VNL, including four against Japan. During his PlusLiga season with Lublin, 20 of his 156 points came from the block. Those totals are particularly useful for an outside hitter whose primary responsibilities remain reception and left-side attacking.
His club career has also demonstrated limited positional flexibility. When Friedrichshafen was missing its regular opposite in 2025, Young was moved to the right side rather than removed from the starting lineup. That does not change his primary position — he remains an outside hitter — but it gives coaches another attacking configuration when injuries or matchups require it.
The larger pattern is one of increasing offensive responsibility. At Nipissing, Young was a national-level scoring leader. Friedrichshafen developed him into a more complete professional outside. Lublin placed him inside a deeper championship roster, and Altekma has now begun using him as one of its primary scorers.
Major Achievements
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship | Silver Medal |
| 2024 | Men’s Pan American Cup | Gold Medal |
The 2024 Pan American Cup title came with Canada’s NextGen team, while the 2026 NORCECA silver was earned as part of the senior national-team group.
Selected Club Honors
| Season / Year | Competition | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | PlusLiga | Runner-up | BOGDANKA LUK Lublin |
| 2025–26 | Polish Cup | Winner | BOGDANKA LUK Lublin |
| 2025 | Polish Super Cup | Winner | BOGDANKA LUK Lublin |
| 2023–24 | German Championship | Runner-up | VfB Friedrichshafen |
Young started the 2026 Polish Cup final as Lublin won 3–0 over Resovia, while the PlusLiga championship series later went to a fifth match before Aluron Warta Zawiercie secured the title.
Selected Individual Awards
| Year / Season | Competition / Organization | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | U SPORTS | Second Team All-Canadian |
| 2022–23 | OUA | First Team All-Star |
| 2021–22 | U SPORTS | Second Team All-Canadian |
| 2021–22 | OUA | First Team All-Star |
| 2021–22 | Nipissing University | Male Athlete of the Year |
| 2019–20 | U SPORTS | All-Rookie Team |
Young’s 2021–22 season remains the statistical peak of his university career: 5.5 points and 0.96 aces per set, both national-leading marks according to Nipissing.
Education
Young studied Physical Education and Health at Nipissing University while playing for the Lakers. His university career ran from 2019 through 2023 and provided the platform for both his entry into Canada’s national-team system and his first professional contract.
The timing of his progression stands out because of how late he began the sport. Starting volleyball at approximately 16, he had only a few years of organized experience before becoming a U SPORTS All-Canadian and was playing professionally in Germany by 22.
Where Is Jackson Young Playing Now?
As of October 2026, Jackson Young plays for Altekma SK in Türkiye’s Efeler Ligi and wears number 15. The club’s official current roster lists him as an outside hitter alongside Jordan Ewert, Paolo Zonca and Baha Akçagöz. He joined Altekma after one season with Polish powerhouse BOGDANKA LUK Lublin.
His Turkish league debut immediately placed him in a major offensive role. On October 17, Altekma lost the first two sets against Spor Toto before winning 3–2; Young scored 33 points to lead his new team.
Young also remains active with the Canada Men’s National Volleyball Team. His 2026 international season included 103 VNL points and a NORCECA silver medal, following his World Championship debut in 2025.
Recent Performance Snapshot
2026 Volleyball Nations League — Canada
| Statistic | Total |
|---|---|
| Total Points | 103 |
| Attack Points | 85 |
| Attack Efficiency | 42.93% |
| Block Points | 12 |
| Service Aces | 6 |
| National-Team Number | 15 |
Young’s highest-scoring VNL match was the five-set loss to Japan, where he produced 21 points from 17 attacks and four blocks. He also scored 18 against both Argentina and Türkiye.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Jackson Young?
Jackson Young was born on July 29, 2001. He is 25 years old as of October 2026.
How tall is Jackson Young?
Young is listed at 195 cm, approximately 6 ft 5 in. His 2025–26 CEV registration listed a 360 cm spike reach.
What position does Jackson Young play?
Young is an outside hitter. His role includes left-side attacking, serve reception, blocking and serving, although Friedrichshafen also used him at opposite when injuries required a lineup change.
Which club does Jackson Young play for?
Young plays for Altekma SK in Türkiye’s Efeler Ligi. He joined the İzmir club for the 2026–27 season after playing for BOGDANKA LUK Lublin in Poland.
What number does Jackson Young wear?
Young wears number 15 for Altekma and has also worn number 15 with Canada.
Did Jackson Young play at the 2025 World Championship?
Yes. Young represented Canada at the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. He scored 23 tournament points, including 12 in Canada’s Round-of-16 match against Poland.
What major club trophies has Jackson Young won?
Young won the 2025 Polish Super Cup and the 2026 Polish Cup with BOGDANKA LUK Lublin. He also finished as a PlusLiga runner-up with Lublin in 2025–26 and a German championship runner-up with Friedrichshafen in 2023–24.
References
- Volleyball World — Jackson Young 2026 VNL player profile and statistics
- Volleyball Canada — Jackson Young athlete profile
- Volleyball Canada — Canada’s 2025 Men’s World Championship roster
- Volleyball World — Poland defeats Canada in the 2025 World Championship Round of 16
- Nipissing University Athletics — Jackson Young earns U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian honors
- Nipissing University Athletics — Jackson Young named to Canada’s U21 program
- VfB Friedrichshafen — Jackson Young moves to Polish champion Lublin
- VfB Friedrichshafen — Jackson Young extends after his second Bundesliga season
- CEV — BOGDANKA LUK Lublin 2025–26 Champions League roster
- Volleyball World — Lublin wins the 2026 Polish Cup
- Volleyball World — Aluron Warta defeats Lublin in the 2026 PlusLiga final
- Altekma Spor Kulübü — 2026–27 first-team roster
- Volleyball Canada — Canada wins 2024 Pan American Cup gold
- Volleyball Canada — Canada earns silver at the 2026 NORCECA Championship
