Sports

Lewis back in rhythm, back in finals

Francis Lewis celebrates a point. (Damion Reid)

Francis Lewis didn’t look like its dominant self early in these playoffs. There was that clunker against Edison in the second round that begged the question: Can the Patriots be beaten?

The answer, if they continue to play the way they did Friday night, is probably not.

“Each match we’re getting a little better, a little better,” coach Arnie Rosenbaum said.

And that’s a scary proposition for the rest of the city.

No. 1 Francis Lewis knocked off No. 5 Midwood, 25-9, 25-13, in the PSAL Class A girls volleyball semifinals at Hunter College. The Patriots, who lost a set in last year’s semis to Susan Wagner, will be making their fourth straight appearance in the championship match when they take on No. 3 Cardozo, which beat No. 2 Wagner, on Tuesday back at Hunter at 6 p.m.

“We play one bad match every year – that was it,” senior middle hitter Chereese Sheen said of the Edison match.

There was nothing bad about this one. It was a complete team effort from start to finish for Lewis (13-0). Senior middle Alicja Pawelec’s 5-0 service run helped doom Midwood (14-1) in the first set. Pawelec had a 5-0 service run and senior outside hitter Jillian Escobar had a 9-0 service run in the second set. For the second straight match, the Patriots all but served a team off the court.

“We’ve been working on that so much in practice,” Escobar said of serving. “They work to protect the floor so we can keep serving.”

With Pawelec and Escobar, who had a 3-0 service run in the first, serving so often, it kept Pawelec, arguably the best hitter in the city, out of the front row in the Patriots’ rotation. That was OK, though. Sheen was incredibly active at the net and she and junior right side Alexandra Persaud helped stymie Midwood star middle Shannon Appel – which was Rosenbaum’s plan.

“Chereese was just all over the place,” the coach said.

And when it wasn’t Sheen, it was Escobar and senior outside Gyna Anthony soaring in for kills. Rosenbaum said the pair was frustrated at times during the season, because Lewis’ offense runs so much through Pawelec and Sheen. They’re the ones that setter Dominika Mrozowska sets the most. But that hasn’t been the case the past two matches. Anthony and Escobar, who is having a breakout performance in the postseason, have gotten plenty of love.

“We’re in practice working our butts off to get set in the game,” Escobar said. “We proved it to her.”

Mrozowska said Escobar has been outspoken about getting set more.

“I want to give her the opportunity to hit and show what she can do,” Mrozowska said. “She’s shining right now.”

Who isn’t on Lewis? Pawelec had eight kills, four aces, two blocks and 10 service points, Escobar had eight digs and 12 service points, Sheen had five kills and two blocks, Anthony had four kills and four digs and Persaud had a pair of blocks. Mrozowska’s 18 assists puts her two points away from setting the school record held by Jen Dorth, who was the Patriots’ setter when they won the title in 2007 – the first in the string of two straight.

Now Lewis is going for an unprecedented three in a row against a familiar opponent, Cardozo, which it beat three times in the regular season. Sunday’s second-round match seems very far in the rear-view mirror.

“I think we’re back to normal,” Rosenbaum said.

mraimondi@nypost.com