Bright flashing lights illuminated the court before the matches began, while a DJ sitting courtside played loud, upbeat music throughout the evening.

Breaks in play were accompanied by more music and chants from the lively crowd.

They had been taught these just before the volleyball had begun by the enthusiastic DJ. 

Whenever a player scored a point with an impressive block, for example, the crowd chanted "monster block" to music while mimicking the skill with their hands.  

This is all part of the FIVB's plan to increase the global popularity of volleyball.

On a media tour of the Pala Alpitour, a FIVB representative explained that they were concerned that fans felt disconnected from the sport.

The lights, music and crowd participation has been introduced as a method of engaging these fans with the action on the court.  

These changes have been described as an attempt at "revolutionising" volleyball. 

There is no doubt that the FIVB's revolution has been successful, with the atmosphere at the Pala Alpitour electric.

There was a discernible buzz around the venue and the 15,000 strong crowd remained energetic and interested in the game, despite the five set semi-final between Poland and the United States finishing just before midnight on the Saturday.

The crowd participation also intended to make volleyball easier to understand in order to make it accessible to everyone and attract new fans to the sport.

I could count the number of professional volleyball matches I had previously attended on one hand, but the chants meant I immediately picked up the names of particular moves and I felt fully involved in the matches unfolding in front of me.

I found it almost impossible to stop myself chanting "monster block" in my head upon leaving the Pala Alpitour each evening, showing how successful the FIVB's tactics of engaging fans are. 

Other innovations introduced by the the FIVB include Volleyball TV, which was launched at the start of the Volleyball Nations League in May.

This broadcasts live volleyball to more than 50 countries online or through an app, making the sport accessible to fans across the globe.

FIVB President Ary Graça has recently been extremely vocal about the importance of developing the popularity of volleyball worldwide.

At the finals of the World Championships, he spoke about his plans for the future of his sport.

"We must spread volleyball all around the world," he said.

"It's not enough to have a strong team in Brazil, Poland, Bulgaria, no.

"The aim is to spread out.

"The idea exactly is not to have teams that compete at a high level, the idea is to give people the opportunity to play a very good sport.

"It is a very good sport for women.

"An excellent sport for children, because there is no contact, there is no violence.

"I insist on saying that volleyball is the sport of the family."

All of this fits in with the overarching idea that making volleyball an accessible and engaging sport will improve its popularity across the world.

This year’s World Championships have shown that so far, Graça’s plan is working.

Cameroon and then Kenya recently recorded the first victories for African nations in the history of the Women's World Championships, which began in 1952.

This shows the development of volleyball in countries where it once was not as popular.

The focus the FIVB gives on creating an incredible atmosphere at events, demonstrated at the semi-finals and final of the Men's World Championships, will only serve to build on this.

The ongoing Women’s World Championships will continue until October 20 in Japan.

After that the FIVB have just under two years to continue the growth of volleyball until the world's biggest showcase in the sport, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.