It has been established that a volleyball showdown between Kansas University and Missouri won’t be much of a snoozer.

Saturday’s match followed that up-tempo theme, marking the fourth straight time the two teams went the maximum five games.

But for KU, that makes the result all the more painful.

The Jayhawks fell flat in the deciding game and lost, 3-2 (27-30, 30-25, 30-21, 26-30, 15-7), to the Tigers in front of 1,118 fans at Horejsi Center.

The Jayhawks were effective in so many areas, but struggled to close the deal — and really struggled serving.

KU had 20 serves either sail too deep or sail into the net. It led to 20 points for Missouri that required absolutely no effort — and that makes a world of difference in five-game matches, where a mistake here and a mistake there can be the difference.

The Jayhawks (11-7 overall, 2-7 Big 12 Conference) have seen three of their last four matches go five games — and only have one victory to show for it.

“It’s a lot of fun to win them,” KU coach Ray Bechard said, “but it can be a drain when it doesn’t work out.”

KU was down 2-1 when it executed flawlessly in game four, registering a .500 hitting percentage and leading almost the entire way after jumping to a 4-1 advantage. Freshman Emily Brown and senior Ashley Michaels combined for nine kills, and senior Jill Dorsey and sophomore Jamie Mathewson provided crucial digs to keep rallies going.

KU Senior middle blocker Ashley Michaels, right, sends a spike past Missouri's Shen Danru (6) and Nicole Wilson. The Tigers beat the Jayhawks, 3-2, in the Border Showdown on Saturday at Horejsi Center.

The momentum drifted away midway through game five, though. The Jayhawks saw a 5-3 advantage disintegrate quickly, and Mizzou ended the match on a 12-2 run to lock up the Border Showdown victory.

“The biggest problem was at the end. We didn’t pass that well,” said Jana Correa, who led KU with a career-high 21 kills. “Our balls were way off. They were a better passing team than we were in the fifth game.”

With fifth games only going to 15 points, the heightened sense of urgency always is apparent. Missouri (11-6, 6-3) was the only team that seemed ready for it Saturday.

“You try to throttle up and be more aggressive in game five,” Bechard said. “Sometimes, kids get a little tentative, and I think that’s what happened to us.”

Besides Correa, three other Jayhawks recorded double-digit kills: Michaels (17), Josi Lima (17) and Paula Caten (16).

Senior Jill Dorsey attempts to bump against Missouri.

Kansas had 83 kills to Missouri’s 68, despite the Tigers’ being one of the top attacking teams in the Big 12.

Regardless, KU’s service errors and Missouri’s 15-2 blocking advantage did the Jayhawks in.

They’ll hit the road Wednesday to take on Oklahoma, trying once again to turn the disappointing conference season around.

“At this point, the wins are more important than how you play, if that makes sense,” Bechard said. “You’d like to have both, but that’s the way we’ve got to look at it.”