A student athlete sparked national change after being disqualified from a volleyball match for wearing a hijab US high school volleyball players no longer need approval to wear religious head coverings during matches, thanks to a 14-year-old Muslim player who inspired the rule change. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which sets competition rules for most US high school sports, announced on Thursday the new rule and said it could extend to other sports. Support for the rule change swelled in September after Najah Aqeel, a freshman at Valor Collegiate Prep in Nashville, Tennessee, was disqualified from a volleyball match for wearing a hijab or headscarf.