Bruinlark wrote:

AndersonMBA2007 wrote: Even though it was an exhibition performance, I'm pretty sure this burns her redshirt.

I guess Coach Val thinks that we might need her to win the National Championship, especially after losing Lichelle for the year.

Yep. That  one made no sense. It's amazing she can even compete (her shoulder surgery was January 5, 2012)

But she is nowhere near  being sharp enough to contribute and the next meet is the Pac 12's in Utah so there's no time for her to get in shape

And we don't actually need her.

The other possibility is that Sawa might not want to be here for five years.  If she is on track to graduate, she might just want to take her degree and move on with her life. I'm sure UCLA did not burn Sawa's redshirt year without asking her what she wants to do first.

And you could very possibly be right.

Two counters

(1) In her presser Miss Val clearly expressed her intention to redshirt Sawa and I wonder if Val would say that before discussing the issue with her

(2) Sawa didn't appear to be ready to even exhibition. When Sawa wiped out on the floor she landed on her shoulder and could have completely messed up the surgery in one fall. Something like that can happen when you try to come back too soon, and competitive athletes often try to come back before they should.