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The University of Hawaii expects a turnout of "about 35,000" for its football season opener with Southern California and "probably 8,000" for the Rainbow Wahine volleyball debut with Texas next week, officials said.
With a week remaining before the Aug. 29 game with 24th-ranked USC, UH said 28,412 tickets had been issued by the close of business Wednesday.
That figure includes 17,927 season tickets, 447 mini packs and an allotment of about 7,000 tickets made available to USC under terms of their contract.
"With walk-up (sales), we’re anticipating about 35,000, that’s our best guess," athletic director Ben Jay said.
A turnstile count of less than 42,000 would be the smallest of any USC appearance against UH at Aloha Stadium, where there have been four sellouts since 1978.
Jay said ticket sales are "impacted by being on a Thursday night at 5 and being (live) on the CBS Sports Network."
Meanwhile, a crowd of more than 7,670 for the Aug. 30 match with defending national champion Texas would be the Rainbow Wahine’s largest home turnout since the Dec. 9, 2011 NCAA tournament match with USC.
So far, UH said, 5,493 tickets have been distributed for the match with the No. 1-ranked Longhorns, "but we are anticipating that we can probably hit 8,000," Jay said. That includes 3,581 season tickets and 188 mini packs sold as of Wednesday.
The match will be shown live by Oceanic Time Warner Cable.
"With football and volleyball our expectations are high and we’re hopeful for a great season," Jay said.
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