The sports world was quiet this weekend, and USF was no exception.

After the postponement of Saturday?s football game, the volleyball and men?s soccer teams also called off their contests.

The volleyball team was scheduled to face Saint Louis Sunday. Coach Nancy Mueller said the cancellation came Friday and was due to Tuesday’s national tragedy and the impending impact of Tropical Storm Gabrielle.

?The administration and the conference stepped in and said it was probably best not to play,? she said.

Conference USA was one of the last national collegiate conferences to announce sweeping cancellations. Until late Thursday, conference officials allowed member schools to make their decisions on a case-by-case basis. On Friday, however, Commissioner Mike Slive released a statement in which he postponed all events scheduled for Friday and all of the weekend?s football.

?Since the White House has indicated to the NCAA that Friday will be a national day of mourning, Conference USA has postponed all competition,? Slive said.

Mueller said her team is working to stay mentally ready to play, although it?s been more than a week since their last game.

?They?re trying to stay as focused as they can,? she said. ?They?re being very mature (about the situation).?

The USF volleyball team was originally scheduled to host the Best Western Invitational. Mueller said the event was canceled quickly after the tragedy. The game with Saint Louis, who was scheduled to be part of the tournament, must be made up, because both teams are members of Conference USA.

Mueller said the two schools will be working in the coming days to set up a makeup date. She said the game will probably be played some time in October.

The Bulls? next game will be Tuesday, as they travel to Tallahassee to take on Florida State. Mueller said the team is ready to get back to work.

?They?re real anxious to play to get their mind off of what?s happening,? she said. ?It?ll be interesting to see how they do.?

John Hackworth, coach of the men?s soccer team, said Saturday?s game against Charlotte was postponed Thursday evening after all major conferences had stopped their contests. The game has been rescheduled for Nov. 11 and is now the last game of the regular season.

?That?s the last possible day to play,? Hackworth said. ?It?ll be tough.?

The game now will be played at the end of a stretch in which six of seven games are against conference opponents. The makeup date is also just days before the Conference USA tournament.

The next game for the team will be Sept. 22 against Cincinnati at the USF Soccer Stadium. Hackworth said his team remains focused despite the break and a difficult week.

?The mindset is very good,? he said. ?They?ve all been personally affected.?

Hackworth said soccer is now a way for his team to cope with the tragedy.

?For these young men it has been very important to have an outlet such as athletics,? he said.

Contact Rob Brannon at oraclerob@yahoo.com