Is 'verse' (or a homonym of 'verse') another word for 'versus'?

I've frequently heard people, including highly educated people, say "verse" instead of "versus" as a sort of informal, shortened version of "versus." In particular in my experience it is an alternate pronunciation of the abbreviation "vs." So if I had to write out that pronunciation, I would use the abbreviation, not the word "verse," as "verse" is an entirely different word with an entirely different meaning.