After a tremendous season on the court for the University of Rochester volleyball team, senior middle blocker Sonia McGaffigan has been named a First Team All-Region 3 selection by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
 
McGaffigan, a fifth-year player from Fairbanks, Alaska, has been named to her second straight All-Region squad, after earning Honorable Mention All-Region 3 accolades following the 2022 season.
 
Region 3 is comprised of 41 institutions, spanning the Empire 8, Liberty League, Skyline and SUNYAC conferences, in addition to Rochester who represents the University Athletic Association. Overall, 14 players were selected as First Team All-Region, with an additional six individuals being named Honorable Mention.
 
This year, the senior middle finished with 211 kills, averaging 2.40 per set and led Rochester with a .251 hitting percentage throughout 27 matches played (25 starts). She tallied 270.5 total points on the year, aided by 26 service aces and a UR-best 54 blocks, 13 of which were solo stuffs. McGaffigan added 52 digs to her stat line.
 
Rochester dominated its opponents within regional play this year, posting a 16-2 record during in-region matches. That helped Rochester finish with an overall 19-11 record on the season.
 
McGaffigan was an Honorable Mention All-UAA pick for the third year in a row following voting done by the league's coaches and had some of the top performances in the league this year. She finished tenth in the UAA in kills per set (2.67), was ninth in points per set (3.42) and had the third highest single-match hitting percentage at .579, when she had 12 kills and 1 error in 19 attempts against Fredonia on September 2.
 
The senior's season-high was 23 hills in a narrow loss to SUNY Cortland during the season-opener, with that total being one of 11 double-digit kill performances in 2023. At the net, McGaffigan finished with multiple blocks in 13 different matches, stuffing a season-high seven against Nazareth on October 11.
 
With the First Team All-Region honor, McGaffigan will now move onto the ballot for All-America consideration, with First, Second, Third Teams and Honorable Mention selections being releases on Tuesday, November 28.