The headwear isn't merely a fashion statement, or just a show of support for her brother's team... Danes playing game for girl.

Dale, 12, covers her head because she's bald from alopecia universalis, a disease that affects the autoimmune system and results in a total loss of body hair. She also has a benign tumor on her pituitary gland that's believed to be at least partly responsible for her condition.

Although her situation isn't considered life-threatening, Dale has to deal with cruel taunts from other children because of her appearance. Even her eyelashes have fallen out.

"It's got to be really tough for any girl to have no hair," Derek Dale said. "I think that's got to be tough especially being at that middle-school age. Kids are young and they really don't know. A lot of people make fun of her."

As a show of support for Nicole, and to defray medical expenses, second-ranked UAlbany has turned Saturday's noon showdown against Maryland-Baltimore County into a fundraiser for the Nicole Dale Alopecia Fund.

"Derek and his family have been great supporters of us since his recruiting days," UAlbany coach Scott Marr said. "We've seen what Nicole's been going through the last couple of years. We thought it was the right thing to do for Derek's family and they're part of our family, so we wanted to try to help them out a little bit."

Annette Dale, who is Nicole's mother, said the family's insurance doesn't cover wigs that Nicole wears that are made of human hair and cost up to $4,000.

"The Albany boys are so kind and the coaches are so comforting, when they said they were going to do something like this, it was overwhelming," the mother said.

Derek Dale, one of four children, is very protective of his youngest sister. After Nicole was diagnosed 14 months ago, her brother surfed the Internet to find a wig that was more practical for playing sports.

The disease hasn't slowed down Nicole, who plays lacrosse, volleyball and basketball. Her mother said her pituitary gland tumor hasn't grown and won't require an operation unless it endangers her eyesight.

Saturday's match already was important for the Great Danes (7-0), who were picked as co-favorites with UMBC in the America East Conference preseason poll. UAlbany wants to avenge a loss to the Retrievers in last year's title game.

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