After a phenomenal debut season in 2011, the Cal State San Marcos women's volleyball team raised the bar in 2012, winning their second-consecutive A.I.I. Conference Championship and advancing deep into the postseason. Entering the season ranked No. 23 in the preseason poll showed that the Cougars had already made a name for themselves, and the team delivered on that potential, finishing the season 30-15 and ranked No. 18 in the postseason NAIA poll.

The Cougars opened the season 3-2 before going on an impressive eight-game win streak—the longest in school history— to improve to 11-2. In the process, the Cougars knocked off three ranked NAIA opponents, No. 8 Lewis-Clark State, No. 21 Carroll, and No. 7 Rocky Mountain. In those three Top-25 showdowns, the Cougars dropped just one set against Lewis-Clark while sweeping the other two teams.

Head coach Andrea Leonard tested the Cougars with a tougher schedule in 2012, and after dropping three straight matches to tough NCAA Division II opponents, the team responded with back-to-back victories over Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State LA. These victories helped catapult the Cougars to No. 9 in the national poll— the highest in program history.

After that point, the Cougars won 11 of their final 12 matches against non-ranked NAIA opponents of NCAA Division III schools, but lost all seven of their matches against ranked NAIA opponents and NCAA Division II foes, despite several close contests.

CSUSM entered the postseason with a 24-13 record looking to defend their A.I.I. Conference Championship in Mayville, N.D. The Cougars not only defended it, but they made a statement, sweeping all four of their matches without dropping a set to claim their second title in two years. A.I.I. Player of the Year Taylor DeGraaf had a monster tournament, notching 70 kills in the two-day tournament— 25 more than the next closest individual— and recorded the second-best attacking percentage (.430) and number of service aces (7) in the competition. For her efforts, DeGraaf was named the Tournament MVP as well. All-Conference selection Nichole May and A.I.I. Setter of the Year Alyssa Foster were each named to the A.I.I. All-Tournament Team.

By winning the conference title, the Cougars secured a berth in the NAIA National Championship, needing a victory in the opening round against No. 22 Vanguard to advance to pool play in Sioux City, Iowa. The red-hot Cougars took the match in four sets, earning a spot in Pool F in Iowa. The Cougars started pool play with a huge sweep over No. 6 The Master's 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 before falling to No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan and No. 21 Viterbo (Wis.). In a three-way tie for the final spot to advance to the final 12 teams in bracket play, the Cougars fell in a one-set tiebreak to The Master's, knocking the Cougars out of the postseason.

Still, CSUSM wrapped up the season 30-15 overall, with a 6-2 postseason record and five victories over NAIA Top-25 opponents. Taylor DeGraaf and Alyssa Foster each were named NAIA All-America Honorable Mention, while head coach Andrea Leonard won her second-consecutive A.I.I. Coach of the Year honor.