As expected the Coaches Poll stayed pretty static this week. The top six remain unchanged from last week as most of the top teams were not challenged by the weekend's competition.

Of interest though - Penn State dropped game one to Purdue this week with a score of 31-29. The Nittany Lions ended up winning in four, but the loss breaks their nine-match streak of bagels. Purdue is not a team they want to be dropping games to this close to the playoffs.

UCLA's hot streak is officially over. They lost to #18 Oregon to fall two spots to #9. It has been a very topsy turvy season for the Bruins. We'll see if they can find some consistency once the playoffs begin.

Two more weeks until the first round of the NCAA tournament. Most of the top teams will not be challenged this weekend, but #6 Stanford will take on #11 Cal and that is always an unpredictable match-up.

Not even football was safe in the Knight Commission's recommendations for NCAA cuts. Finally, the lavish college football spending is on the chopping block along with all the usual suspects.

Being the predominant revenue producer certainly should have its perks, but it has always struck me as insane that many football programs spend money to put all 60 guys up in a hotel even when playing at home. The Knight Commission listed this as one of the suggested cuts and I think it is about time.

The Knight Commission is a panel of educators, administrators and athletic directors and has no power to inact changes, but they can put pressure on the NCAA to implement some of these cuts.

Balancing the books will very likely mean that entire sports will get cut as well. It always scares me when I hear this because men's volleyball could very well see some programs disappear in the near future. With so few programs and scholarships left for men's volleyball, more cuts could devastate the sport. Here's hoping they keep the scissors aimed at the behemoth that is college football.

The playoffs are fast approaching and the top five teams in this week's Coaches Poll remain unchanged. They will likely remain this way for the last three weeks before the tournament begins.

Penn State and Hawaii are still sitting pretty. Penn State beat #5 Illinois in three sets this week to continue their steamroll tour through the Big Ten.

#4 Washington had a rollercoaster weekend down in LA. The Huskies lost to then #17 USC in five sets, but then beat #6 UCLA (formerly the hottest team in the Pac-10) in three sets to remain in the top spot in the conference, which they currently share with Stanford. No major tests scheduled for any of the top teams this coming weekend, so they should all sail smoothly to the same spots next week.

Should young kids be cut from their junior high and youth teams? Many of us have been coaches and had to make a decision that breaks a child's heart. There is only so much time, gym space and available coaching, so they can't all remain on the team, right?

We make decisions using the best criteria we can come up with and take into account their current skill level, enthusiasm, attitude and potential for growth. Some cuts seem obvious - the player is just too short, too uncoordinated or too far behind the other players in skill level. But when you think about it, weren't we all once? Didn't we all start somewhere?

Is it fair to make decisions that could put an end to a child's interest in the sport at such a young age when we could begin to cultivate a lifetime of participation with just a little bit of encouragement?

John Kessel's recent blog says we should just let the young kids play, pointing out that it takes time for talent to develop.

He makes some great points about a junior high program in which 100 kids tried out. They ended up letting them all play on several teams with different skill levels. When they got to high school, half of the players that made the team were the very kids that would've been cut back in junior high if only the top players were allowed to compete. Tough to argue with that.

Of course, not all programs have the coaches or the wherewithal to do what that program did, but it is a story worth keeping in mind when the time comes for tough decisions.

If the growth of the sport is our objective, it makes sense to cast a wide net, especially in the formative years. When it comes down to it, no matter how good we think we are at pinpointing potential, we have to leave room for the late-blooming surprise.