We've just had lots of discussion here about how important the recs are. We get lots of people who say "I know a girl who went to Bama/Auburn/Texas/South Carolina and didn't have any recs and had a perfect rush!" but we are kind of shy on actual data.
There are of course a lot of reasons why a girl can be cut from a chapter during rush, especially the early rounds, so we can't say with certainty that she was cut due to lack of recs, but it's at least a start for understanding the process. My guess is the girls in question here just didn't make it high enough on the list because not enough information was ascertained in the ridiculously short period of time at the first round party. That may sound better (she wasn't cut; she just didn't make it high enough on the flex list), but it feels exactly the same to the girl looking at blank spots on her schedule.
Hopefully the worst is behind them now