It was a rematch of the five-set thriller from the NAIA semifinals last spring.

And just like in the spring, this conference match went five sets.

And just like that semifinal, The Master’s University came up short, losing to Vanguard 26-24, 25-23, 23-25, 20-25, 4-15.

The Mustangs (9-2, 1-1) hit a season-low .181, getting 40 kills but committing 23 hitting errors. The Lions also had 16 blocks against TMU attacks, compared to four for the Mustangs.

After TMU won the first two sets, the third stayed very tight throughout. The Mustangs had a 20-19 lead in the set, but Vanguard scored four of the next five points to lead 23-21. Both sides traded points allowing the Lions to take the set by two.

The fourth set stayed tight as well, with The Master’s taking as much as a three-point lead. But after TMU took a 16-14 lead, once again the Lions went on a run, this time 11-4 to closeout the set and force a decisive fifth set.

This time it was Vanguard that took control from the onset and never let up, taking that final set by 11.

“It was a very competitive back and forth match the entire nigh,” said TMU head coach Jared Goldberg. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to close games after being close in both the 3rd and 4th sets. In the 5th set, Vanguard just caught fire and played lights out. They are a talented team that played really well tonight.”

The Master’s will be back in The MacArthur Center on Thursday for a non-conference match against the Simpson Red Hawks. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.