About 7,000 tickets remain for the University of Hawai'i's football season opener with two-time defending national champion Southern California, school and Aloha Stadium officials said yesterday.

With nine days remaining before the Sept. 3 game, UH athletic director Herman Frazier said he expects a sellout. Kickoff is 1:05 p.m. for the national cable game.

"We hope to get a good response from our student body on Monday and help make this our first sellout at Aloha Stadium since 2002," Frazier said in a release. The Alabama game sold out that year.

Some of the remaining 7,000 tickets are being held in reserve for UH students, whose sale begins Monday. All student tickets not sold by the end of business Aug. 31 will be put on sale to the public Sept.1, UH announced.

Approximately 10,000 of the 50,000 tickets for the USC game have been sold through the Trojans.

Meanwhile, UH sports information director Lois Manin said "about 4,200" season tickets have been sold for Rainbow Wahine volleyball, nearly 400 more than last year. The Rainbow Wahine home opener is Sept. 1 against USC in the Hawaiian Airlines Classic.

The Aloha Stadium box office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Stan Sheriff Center box office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., week days. Tickets are also available by phone (944-Bows) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and online at hawaii athletics.com.