LAS VEGAS (AFLWA) – For the first time this season, a rookie has been named the Arena Football League Writers Association's Player of the Week.

In leading the Tampa Bay Storm to a 61-55 win over the New Orleans VooDoo on Saturday night, quarterback Brett Dietz won the Week 14 award in just his sixth AFL start.

It was the second time in three weeks that Dietz has thrown eight touchdown passes in a game, and against New Orleans, he was 23-of-30 for 315 yards with no interceptions.

His seventh touchdown pass all but put the game out of reach, giving the Storm a 48-28 lead with 2:33 remaining in the third quarter. Dietz's final scoring pass came with 4:56 remaining in the game to up the lead to 58-42.

When Dietz was named the Storm's starter for a Week 9 game against Columbus, Tampa Bay was 1-6. Since then, the team has won five of six, is 6-7 and currently is tied for the fourth playoff position in the National Conference.

The AFLWA, founded at the start of the 2004 season, is a national organization made up of media members who cover the Arena Football League. The association will name an AFL Player of the Week each week throughout the 2007 season. The AFLWA has presented this weekly award since its inception during the 2004 season. Mark Anderson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is the AFLWA's founder and executive director.