Briefly: "Val is a physical presence at two meter defense, and she shows good anticipation on offense."
Summer of 2005: Researched pesticide exposure of migrant farm laborers in Hood River Valley, Oregon for her honors thesis. She also volunteered at a local clinic.
As a Junior in 2005: Tallied five goals ... Earned Academic All-American and MPSF Academic All-Conference honors ... Helped the team to second place finishes at both MPSFs and NCAAs.
Summer of 2004: Traveled to Barcelona to study abroad. Learned Spanish, enjoyed meeting the local people and sampling the cuisine... Later traveled to Chile to visit sister, Britt.
As a sophomore in 2004: Helped Stanford to a third-place finish at NCAAs... tallied 3 goals.... MPSF Academic All-Conference... Academic All-American.
Summer of 2003: Member of the Stanford club team that took first place at U.S. Senior Nationals and fifth place at U.S. Junior Nationals.
As a freshman in 2003: Notched five goals in initial collegiate season ... Tallied two goals against Indiana at the Stanford Invitational and one goal against UC Santa Cruz at UCSB Tournament ... Recorded one goal in 9-1 win over Long Beach State in second game of MPSF Tournament.
High School: Selected as the Most Valuable Player on high school squad and in the league during senior season ... A three-time First-Team All-Metro League member (1999-2001) ... First-Team All-State selection in 2000 and 2001 ... A four-year letterwinner in water polo and three-year letterwinner in swimming ... Captain of water polo team during senior season ... Two-time NISCA All-American.
Personal: Born on Jan. 23, 1984, in Portland, Ore. ... Daughter of Sue Riss and Brad Hoyt, and Nancy Myers and David Riss ... Has three sisters and two brothers, Tessa (30), Steph (28), Jeremy (27), Patrick (26) and Britt (25) ... Hobbies include shoulder exercises and driving to San Francisco ... Pre-Med and Human Biology major.