Female high school volleyball player suffers serious head injury after transgender player in rival team lobbed '70mph' ball at her head

Footage of a North Carolina girl's high school volleyball match has emerged in which a player suffered a serious injury after a transgender player lobbed a ball at his female opponent, striking her in the head. 

The physical injuries suffered by the female student-athlete at Hiwassee Dam High School were to her head and neck.

It's estimated that the volleyball was thrown at 70mph - and was described as 'abnormally' fast by one bystander.

Neither player has been identified. 

And the incident has since had far-reaching implications for how the game is played in the state after news spread how the offending shot had been played by a biological male.

The Hiwassee Dam female player is still suffering from long-term concussion symptoms, including problems with her vision and has not been cleared to play.

The Cherokee County school board has subsequently voted 5-1 to forfeit all matches for its schools' women's volleyball teams against Highlands School, who the unnamed transgender player plays for. 

A 2015 study of volleyball players explained how males are significantly more effective than females at 'attacking' the ball toward their opponent's side. 

The body of males also allows for greater momentum and power on jump ball returns.

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