A former North Carolina high school volleyball player who was injured by a transgender player on an opposing team will be a guest at President Trump’s congressional address Tuesday night.
Payton McNabb drew international headlines following a volleyball match in 2022 when a transgender player spiked a ball that hit her in the face, giving her a concussion and a traumatic brain injury.
At the time, McNabb was a junior at Hiwassee Dam High School in Murphy, North Carolina. In April 2023, she told North Carolina lawmakers she was knocked unconscious by the blow.
"I suffered from a concussion and neck injury that to this day I am still recovering from," she said.
McNabb said she suffered impaired vision, partial paralysis, headaches, depression, and difficulty learning. At the time, the player who spiked the ball didn't respond to interview requests from WFAE.
McNabb's story played a role in garnering support for North Carolina's House Bill 574, which bans transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams in middle schools, high schools, and colleges.
The bill affects an extremely small number of high school students in North Carolina.
Between 2019 and 2023, only 16 transgender boys and two transgender girls requested waivers to play on teams matching their gender identity, according to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
It was unclear how many transgender students were competing in middle school or college sports in North Carolina at the time of the bill's passing.