Trojans deny Sooners in OU’s trip

It certainly helps that Sarmiento and some of his Southern California teammates fondly recall winning a national title at the University of Georgia two years ago.

Sarmiento and Yannick Hanfmann won their singles matches in straight sets and USC earned its 21st NCAA championship with a 4-2 victory over Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

The top-seeded Trojans (32-3) clinched their fifth national title in six years under coach Peter Smith when Max de Vroome held serve with a backhand volley to beat Andrew Harris in No.

For Sarmiento, who was a sophomore when Southern California beat Virginia for the national title in Athens two years ago, almost everything went right once the Trojans returned to Georgia.

Smith, who also led USC to the 2010 national title over Tennessee in Athens, instructed the Trojans to be aggressive by advancing to the net whenever they had a chance.

De Vroome had a tough time putting away Harris, particularly after leading 4-3 in the third set and going up 40-love before getting his serve broken and losing the game.

“There’s so much going through your mind, but seeing your teammates right next to the court and your coaches right there to help you through means a lot,” de Vroome said.