Billy Paluch is a freshman from Rapid City, S.D. Paluch is helping the Creighton tennis team get off to a solid start to their season by providing consistency on the Bluejays’ no. 1 doubles team. Paluch won five state championships in high school and is continuing his success in his first season as a Bluejay.

Q: When did you start playing tennis?

A: Pretty young, probably four or five. So, basically my whole life.

Q: Who’s been the biggest influence on your tennis career?

A: Definitely my dad. He played college tennis at New Mexico, and he’s motivated me quite a bit to play a lot. He’s definitely been my biggest motivation. He started with nothing and developed into a really good player. I’ve started with a lot more than he ever had. He’s quite an inspiration from that perspective. He’s always there. Even when I lose, he still gives me confidence.

Q: What are your individual goals for the season?

A: Just doing whatever it takes to help the team to win. We started out last year at the bottom of the conference. I feel like we’re a better team this year. Whatever I can do to help the team, I do my very best to do that. If I win but the team doesn’t, it’s kind of a pointless win.

Q: You were a five-time state doubles champion before coming to Creighton. How has that helped you transition into playing the one doubles position right out of the gate?

A: Well, it’s a lot different in college tennis. There is quite a huge jump. You get used to playing with a certain guy and you just have to do your part in doubles. You have to do the basics and the fundamentals right. My partner J.T. Christian has been a great, smart doubles partner all year. We work well together. I don’t know how, but right away we connected and we knew who would take what ball, when to cover where. We work well together mentally, too. He’s good at never losing his head, and we keep each other thinking positively.

Q: As a freshman, what are some things you’ve learned from the upperclassmen on the team?

A: You learn from the guys that every match really counts and that even if you lose, you learn from your failures and your losses that you just have to do those things right the next time. The upperclassmen know what it’s like. They’ve been there, and they tell you to just keep on truckin’ and keep on doing your absolute best at all times and that you can’t look back. If you lose, you can’t keep your head down. They’re really good at keeping you thinking positive.

Q: In your first year of college tennis, what has been the most challenging thing you’ve encountered?

A: The transition to college tennis. There is so much that college tennis has to offer. Every team is really strong, and you don’t get any easy days. I was kind of expecting that, expecting good hard tennis, and that’s definitely what you get. The Valley has a bunch of good conference teams and each conference win is tough to get.

Q: With just a few weeks left in your season, what are you looking forward to most?

A: Just finishing strong here. We have three conference matches left, and we think we can win all of those. Then, in the conference tournament, just playing with confidence and knowing that we can win and that we have a chance in every match. Record aside, in the tournament, you just gotta go out there and play, fighting every match and not letting up at all.