To put it bluntly, Kansas University volleyball coach Ray Bechard is sick of the snoozing.

He has watched his Jayhawks fall asleep during the second and third games of their matches far too often this season, and he made it clear that Friday’s lull during another five-game loss — this time 3-2 to Arkansas — at Horejsi Center was the last straw.

“I told the team, we’re either pretty good or pretty bad,” an uncharacteristically somber Bechard said. “We’ve got to develop a level of consistency that creates the opportunity for us to smooth things out a little bit. When you’re playing that good or that bad, that’s a concern.”

As was the case in five-game wins against No. 13 Minnesota and Dayton last weekend, the Jayhawks were really good at times and really bad at others.

Things started out on a positive note for Kansas. It won the first game 30-25 behind 13 kills from freshman Janaina Correa, a tally that matched Arkansas’ total production.

The Jayhawks’ up-tempo pace deteriorated into a zombie-like pace during the next two stanzas, however. Passes were off the mark, and the once-stellar digging turned dismal. Kansas’ hitting percentage dipped from a torrid .410 in the opener to negative numbers in Game Two and up to a sub-par .175 in Game Three.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Correa, who pounded just six of her game-high 27 kills during that stretch. “They were reading our game so they knew where we were going to hit the ball more of the time. We just didn’t play well.”

Added KU setter Ashley Bechard: “I needed to get my hitters some more hittable balls, and we had some unforced errors.”

Arkansas’ Jennifer Haaser and Karla Crose seemingly blocked shots at will, with the Razorbacks trumping the Jayhawks 16-2 to that point. By the end of the third game, Arkansas had romped to 30-17 and 30-22 victories.

The Jayhawks did an about-face in Game Four, responding with an electrifying five-kill outburst from Correa. Sarah Rome added four kills during runs of 9-3 and 9-4 that sparked the 30-20 victory.

Kansas crumbled in the finale, however, falling 15-10 amidst multiple unforced hitting errors and even more Arkansas blocks.

Losing at home hurt, Ray Bechard admitted, but the continual mid-match struggles were what stung the most.

“We struggled against Minnesota in Game Three and we struggled against Dayton in Game Three and tonight we struggled in Game Three,” he said. “Especially in a match that’s one game apiece, hopefully you can figure out a way to come out strong again.”

The Jayhawks will get another shot today in the final matches of the Hampton Inn/Jayhawk Classic. Kansas plays Creighton at 1 p.m. and North Carolina at 7 p.m. The Tar Heels play Arkansas at 11 a.m., and the Razorbacks and Creighton square off at 5 p.m.