CLAREMONT, Calif. – Alex Holtz and Carolyn Mukai each produced seven points as the Whittier College women's lacrosse team guaranteed themselves no worse than the third seed in the upcoming SCIAC Tournament with a 20-15 win over Pomona-Pitzer last Friday evening.

Whittier (6-9, 4-3 SCIAC) has now won back-to-back games for the first time this season and hit the 20-goal plateau for the second time this year.

The Sagehens scored first just 25 seconds into the game but the Poets ripped off three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead at the 19:12 mark. Holtz scored her first goal of the game to even the score at 1-1 and Sherise Varga gave the purple and gold a lead it would not relinquish at the 20:19 mark.

Pomona-Pitzer pulled within one goal four times but never tied the score or reclaimed the lead. Carolyn Mukai answered a Sagehen goal at 16:58 to give WC a 4-2 advantage and Holtz scored just 30 seconds later to give the Poets a three-goal cushion.

Carolyn Mukai ended the three-goal run at the 12:57 mark.

The Sagehens climbed back into things with a three-goal spurt over a three-minute period but WC ended the half on a 3-2 run to take a 10-7 lead into the half.

Holtz, Emily Mukai and Carolyn Mukai opened the second stanza by scoring three straight goals. Lauren Bibby sandwiched a goal in the middle of five Pomona-Pitzer goals. Bibby's goal gave Whittier a 13-10 lead with 20:30 to play in the game.

Pomona-Pitzer scored two straight to pull within one goal but Emily Mukai extended the purple and gold's lead to two. The Sagehens answered Emily's goal less than 20 seconds later but Holtz and Sherise Varga started a 6-2 run that ended the game and gave WC the five-goal victory.

Holtz and Carolyn Mukai each had five goals and two assists while Varga, Bibby and Kaitlin Fithian scored two goals. Trillium Santin finished with one goal and Emily Mukai recorded three scores.

Conny Joel played all 60 minute in the cage and made 15 saves.